Ascent of the Hawk
by Foxboy614
Summary: Sakura and Rio are confronted by three aggressive wrestlers, but a young male enters the picture and the girls soon learn about his combat prowess. From there, they try to get him into the men's league. I ONLY OWN THE OCS USED IN THE STORY!
1. Chapter 1: The Attack

**I do not own _Wanna Be the Strongest in the World_ , nor do I wish to gain any profit from this. I am merely doing this for fun and amusement.  
* So, I finally decided to check it out. And so far…  
I REGRET NOTHING! * runs and jumps head-first into the nearest body of water *  
But seriously, I am liking it so far. Sakura herself is what drew me in. Also, the fact she's voiced by the same woman who does Neith from _Smite_ (which I also don't own) is an added bonus.**

It was a slow Saturday night for Sakura. She had spent several long minutes preparing for a date with one guy Rio suggested, but Sakura's been regretting every second of it. True, the guy was well-mannered, and he managed to book reservations for a fancy restaurant, but he constantly talked about his achievements in soccer. And he wouldn't. stop. talking. It was driving her absolutely crazy.  
 _"Great… I spend almost an hour preparing for this date… and the guy is SO full of himself."_ she thought bitterly. _"I'm SO gonna make Rio pay..."_

Another thing to note is that this guy isn't the first one suggested to her by Rio. There were two others. But one was not at all pleasant to be around, and the other turned out to be abusive. Rio regretted hooking Sakura up with that guy big time. Thankfully for her, Sakura forgave her once she gave the guy a massive beat-down. But Sakura knew one thing; she wouldn't let Rio be her match-maker any more.

In the midst of one of the guy's soccer stories, Sakura got up and picked her purse up.  
"Hey, where you going?" he asked.  
"I have to use the restroom. I'll be back." Sakura explained. He nodded his head in understanding.  
"Ok. Gotcha. Do what you need to do."  
Sakura smiled and left for the restroom, muttering something under her breath.

Inside the bathroom, she placed her purse on the counter and turned on the sink. She wet her hands before putting soup on to wash them. Once she was done, she took out her phone and called Rio.  
"Hey, bud. How's your date going?" Rio asked while sitting on a bench near a fountain in the park.  
"Not good. He keeps talking about his soccer achievements, and he won't shut up. I swear, that's the ONLY thing he talks about." Sakura explained. "And, also… I'm not much of a soccer fan."  
"Ok, sit tight. I got ya." Rio told her.  
"Thanks." Sakura said. "I mean, don't get me wrong; he's a nice and well-mannered guy… but he seems REALLY high on himself."  
"I see." Rio said in understanding. "So… check him off?"  
"What do you think?" Sakura snarked light-heartedly. Rio laughed a bit.  
"Ok. I'll get ya out of there. See ya." Rio said.  
"Ok. Bye." Sakura said as well before they both hung up. She put her phone away and let out a long sigh. She had a feeling she was going to regret this one.

Sakura left the bathroom and made her way back to the table, but discovered that her date had left. Sakura was left puzzled; the park was a good ways away from the restaurant she was at. Did Rio get here that quick?  
"Where'd he go?" she wondered out loud. The waiter that worked their table noticed her and called her over to him.  
"Ah, you're Ms. Hagiwara, am I right?" he asked her.  
"Yes sir." she replied. "Where's my date?"  
"Well, he told me his coach called. Said he needed to come in and put in a few extra hours of training. He already paid for everything. So you can leave." the waiter said. "He also told me to tell you that he didn't feel he'd have enough time to spend with you, considering this instance of being called in for extra training hours isn't the first."  
Sakura was left silent for a while. Here she was thinking she would have to call it off with him, when HE took care of that FOR HER. It actually left her relieved. "Well… I'm sorry to hear that." she simply said. "Goodbye."  
"Take care, ma'am." the waiter said. "Good luck in your next match." Sakura smiled.  
"I'll do my best." she told him as she gave him a tip and left for the door.

Once outside, Sakura went to a nearby bench and sat down, letting out a long sigh. "Well… that wasn't how I imagined it would end." she said.  
"You mean I missed it?" a voice said. Sakura turned her head to see Rio walking up and sit down next to her. Sakura nodded her head yes. Rio snapped her fingers. "Crap. I had this whole story about one of your Idol friends being in the hospital due to an accident, and you ended it before I even got here."  
"Well… actually… HE ended it." Sakura admitted. Rio gave her a funny look.  
"Why? Did he feel he wasn't good enough, or that YOU weren't good enough? But I highly doubt it was the latter; you look WAY too good to be considered not good enough." Rio said, making Sakura laugh a bit before she explained what happened.  
"Ok, I guess that makes sense." Rio stated. Then there was an awkward silence between them. "So… uh… you wanna go for a walk in the park?" she asked.  
"I suppose." Sakura said as she got up. "It'll help me settle my stomach." Rio got up and the two went over to the park to enjoy a friendly walk together.

"I'm sorry this one didn't work out well." Rio apologized. "I thought for sure this one would be a success."  
"It's ok." Sakura assured her as she placed a hand on her white-haired friend. "Though… maybe I'll find a guy on my own next time."  
Rio let out a rejected sigh. "Fair enough. I'm no Aphrodite."  
"You got that right." Sakura said with a chuckle. "You're too aggressive, and you run a lot of guys off. And you failed three times to get me a good guy." Rio nodded her head in a "you have a point" manner.  
"Still… I was just hoping I had got it this time." Rio said, still feeling a bit down.  
"It's ok. You're good. We're still cool." Sakura assured her. Rio looked at her and smiled. The two continued their walk, each just talking about things ranging from matches they've been in to music they like. But as they were talking, Sakura heard some footsteps heading their way from behind them, and by the sound of it, it wasn't looking good.

Sakura turned around to see who it was, only to meet with a hard punch to her gut, dropping her to her knees and coughing hard. Rio turned when she heard the blow, then turned to the attackers with anger in her eyes and her teeth bared. It was three rough-looking girls. The one on the right had long jet-black hair with red at the ends, amber eyes, and she was wearing a black leather jacket over a red tank-top, black jeans and black leather boots. The one on the left had short snow-white hair and sapphire-blue eyes, a white shirt with blue slash-like marks beginning at the left shoulder and going downwards diagonally, blue jean shorts and white knee-high boots. And lastly, the middle one had long brown hair parted in the middle, hazel eyes, light tanned skin, a black leather jacket over an orange shirt with an odd serpent-like design on the front, black fingerless gloves, and black pants tucked into boots that stopped just below her knees and had what looked like Aztec pattering on it. Needless to say, these girls did NOT look friendly.

"Hey! What's the big idea, buttholes!" Rio asked, pure anger laced in her voice. Before she and Sakura became friends, she would've let anyone do what they wanted to do to her, but now she practically sees her as like a sister.  
"Stay out of this, you albino-headed freak." the middle one said before she booted Rio hard in the stomach, making her fall back. She then snapped her fingers, signaling one of her goons to hold Rio down while she had the other one hold Sakura up. The leader walked towards Sakura slowly. "So… THIS is the great Sakura Hagiwara I've heard SO much about, huh?" she asked mockingly. She then laughed darkly. "How pathetic. It seems they'll let ANYONE in these days. Even Idol freaks like YOU." she spat as she poked Sakura hard in between her eyes. And it hurt worse than it would have because her nails were sharp. "You should've never left the Idol life, doll. You freaks are all talk, but you're absolutely helpless. You're as weak as insects… annoying like them, too." Sakura felt her blood begin to boil, and she struggled to break free, violently thrashing around. And she would've escaped had it not been for the leader kicking her hard in the stomach, dropping her to her knees coughing up a storm once more. Rio herself tried to break loose as well.

"HEY! YOU LEAVE IDOL GIRLS OUT OF THIS!" Rio shouted. The leader turned to Rio, and a devilish smirk broke out on her face. She slowly walked towards the struggling wrestler.

"My… funny hearing that come from YOU." she said. "If I recall, you yourself belittled and insulted them once before."  
The memories of what she said to Sakura on that fateful night once upon a time rang through her head like a bell. She's grown to regret those words, seeing as how strong a woman Sakura has become, and by extension, Elena as well. She still chuckled to herself thinking of why Sakura joined wrestling in the first place; that dang red-head couldn't keep her fool-mouth shut.  
"You're right… I DID." Rio admitted. "But now I know they can be caring and compassionate people. The Sweet Divas, even in spite of what I said about them and their fans, still accept me as one of their friends. Heck, I see it as an HONOR to be accepted by them, even though I KNOW I don't deserve it." Sakura was surprised to hear this coming from Rio. But it warmed her heart too to see that Rio now sees them as friends too instead of annoying pests.  
"And for the record, the Idol business is NO cake-walk; ask Sakura. She'll vouch for me there." Rio added. The leader looked over at Sakura, then back at Rio in confusion.  
"What… may I ask… are you talking about?" she asked.  
"It's a long story. But here's the short version; I tried it, but I didn't even make it through ONE concert without throwing in the towel. Meanwhile, Sakura went from Idol singing to wrestling, lost sixty-five times IN A ROW, save for a few victories here and there, and STILL kept going." Rio explained. "So if ANYTHING, she's FAR tougher than ANY of you COMBINED!"

The leader growled and back-handed Rio hard, making her fall down. Sakura tried once more to break free, but the leader gave her a hard back-hand too, dropping her to the floor like a ragdoll. She then picked Sakura up by her throat, tightening her grip around Sakura's neck.  
"Let's see how long your singer-lungs can last." she said darkly as Sakura gasped for breath, trying to pry the attacker's hand off her neck, only for her to tighten it even more. Rio tried to get up and stop her, but the two goons held her in place.  
Sakura felt the world going dark; she was on the verge of passing out. The leader merely broke another wicked smirk.  
"You know… you have such… beautiful eyes." she commented before raising her hand in a threating manner. "Would you mind if I CARVED THEM OUT?!" she asked sinisterly as she moved her hand threateningly close to Sakura's face. Sakura felt powerless to stop her.

The others looked on and laughed evily, save for Rio, who was still trying to break free, crying for them to leave Sakura alone.  
"Maybe this will make the Idol girl think twice before disgracing wrestling again." said on of the goons.

 *** THWACK! ***

Something hit one of the goons in the back of the head, making her let out a loud yell in pain and clutch the spot that was hit. The leader had accidently released her grip on Sakura's throat. Sakura felt color return to the world as she clutched her throat, greedily sucking in the sweet air her lungs needed so desperately.  
"Luciana! Something just hit me in the head!" she yelled out.  
"Oh, grow a pair, Ayane!" she yelled. "You've been hit with worse before." Ayane growled angrily at her. "Now then… where was I?" she asked as she walked back over to Sakura, grabbing a handful of her hair and yanking her up on her feet. Then she turned Sakura around and once again captured her throat in a vice grip. "Oh, I remember; clawing your eyes out!"

 *** THWACK! ***

Something hit the other goon, hitting her in her butt this time. She let out a yell as she grabbed the spot that was hit, making Luciana let go of Sakura again.  
"OH, DANG IT! THAT HURT!" she yelled. Luciana walked up to her and slapped her.  
"Get a grip, Gracia!" she yelled. She then shifted her eyes downwards, and noticed what had hit both Gracia and Ayane; a small rock. She bent down to pick it up. She rolled her eyes then turned towards her goons. "So… THIS is what got your panties in a twist? A stupid rock?!"  
"HEY! We weren't expecting it! Plus, it hit us fast and hard. We don't even know where it came from!" Ayane said in defense.

Soon, Luciana heard what sounded like elastic snapping and something trailing through the air towards her. She quickly raised her hand and captured the small flying rock, then looked up in the direction it came from. She saw that it had come from up in a nearby tree. Actually, it came from someone IN the tree. She crushed the rock in her hand, then let the dust fall out before wiping her hands together to get the remaining dust off. And once more, that evil smirk made its way back on her face as a lone figure jumped out of the tree and landed on all fours before standing up.

It was a male, about a year older than Sakura. He had brown hair, with his bangs parted in the middle, and the hair in the back went down to his shoulders and started to curl up a bit. He had brown eyes, light tanned skin, and a small scar on the left side of his jaw. He was wearing a red jacket with a yellow shirt underneath that had an orange hawk-like design on it that had similar detailing as Luciana's serpent, long boot-cut jeans and brown leather boots as well as a brown leather belt with a gold buckle with a piece of ruby cut into a hawk-like shape. Sakura thought he looked pretty handsome.

"Well, well, well… look who we have here..." Luciana said as she cracked her knuckles. "My old friend."  
"I'm no friend of yours, you black-hearted skunk of a rat." he spat. "Especially not a person who attacks innocents for the fun of it."  
"Hey, this… thing, is a disgrace to wrestling, and needs to be dealt with as such!" Luciana retorted, pointing at Sakura.  
"She's better than you by a long-shot." he said. "I've never seen a girl who would stay after the amount of losses she's had."  
"Wha- how do you-?" Luciana began before the boy cut her off.  
"I ain't telling you a thing. Now listen; I'm giving only a few seconds to turn around, get lost, and leave these girls alone." he warned.  
"Is that so?" Luciana challenged.  
"Trust me Luciana. We BOTH know how this will end." he told her. Luciana thought about it for a few seconds, and decided it wasn't worth it.  
"You know what? ...You're not worth our time. C'mon you two." Luciana said as she, Ayane, and Gracia turned and left.

The boy watched them leave for a few seconds before turning to Sakura and Rio, his face softening and now taking a calmer, friendlier appearance. "Hey. Are you two alright?" he asked.  
"Yeah… we're a bit shaken… but we're good. We're wrestlers, so we're tough." Rio answered. Sakura nodded her head in further agreement.  
"That's good. That stupid rat must be getting more desperate to get a win that she'll go after those that are unprepared to fight. Especially if, if my deduction's right, one of the girls just had a bad date." he said, getting a little mad. Sakura's eyes widened a bit; how did he know that?  
"How did you know I was on a date that didn't go well?" she asked him.  
"A pretty girl like you, wearing a beautiful, sparkly red dress like that, and looking as fancy and lovely as you are out here WITHOUT a guy, I kinda figured that was what happened. Plus, I've seen it before a few times with my sister." he answered. Sakura's eyes widened more; he hit the nail right smack on the head.

"Impressive." Sakura stated. "So… who are you exactly? And how did that girl know you?"  
"Oh! Right! Where are my manners?" he said as he hit his forehead with his palm. "My name is Yoshi Hirano."  
"Pleasure to meet you, Yoshi." Sakura said politely. "I'm Sakura Hagiwara."  
"And I'm Rio Kazama." Rio chimed in.  
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person." Yoshi said as he bowed. "I've seen you two on TV before. And I've also heard a lot of things about you, Sakura."  
"Like what?" she asked, curious as to what he heard.  
"Well… I heard why you joined wrestling in the first place." he said. Rio turned her head and covered her mouth, trying to hold in her laughter, but a snicker still found its way out of her. Yoshi took notice of it as well as Sakura's reddening face. "I also know why she's holding in her laughter. And I've heard of your inhuman determination. And… yeah… your beauty. But seeing you here, now, and in person, I see rumors and pictures don't do you justice." he added, his own face becoming red. Sakura's face broke out with a new blush from his compliment.  
"Hey, back off there, casonova. She just had a bad date. Give her some time to recover." Rio warned him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend." Yoshi replied with sincerity. "It's just… it's not everyday you meet AND save a wrestler you admire in the same night."  
"Don't worry. It's good. I had a feeling we wouldn't have worked out anyways." Sakura assured him.  
"Thank you." Yoshi said as he bowed. "Well, I must be going. The boys are probably worried about me."  
"Ok. Bye." Rio said.  
"See you around." Sakura said. Yoshi waved them good-bye and made his way out of the park to head home.

"He's got the right idea. We should be heading back home too." Rio suggested. Rio noticed Sakura wasn't paying attention. She snapped her fingers a few times before finally getting her attention.  
"Huh? Oh, sorry… I guess I wasn't paying attention." she apologized.  
"That boy's caught your eyes, huh?" Rio asked with a smirk as she crossed her arms.  
"… Too early to say for sure." Sakura admitted. "But he is cute, and he seems to be a very nice guy."  
"Yeah, you got that right." Rio said. "But anyways, we should be getting home. We have a big day tomorrow. We have a busy day of training, and we need to be up bright and early."  
"Got it." Sakura said giving her a thumbs-up. "I'll see you then."  
"Take care." Rio said as the two went their separate ways back to their respective homes.

 *** And with that, this chapter is down. I honestly wasn't expecting it to be this long, let me tell ya.  
Now, after watching the first episode, I learned one thing; Rio is SAVAGE. True, her anger seemed justified, but JEEZ. If you've watched it, you know what I mean. Chances are, you've seen it if you're reading this.  
Anyways, let me know how I did, and if you liked it, stay tuned for more chapters and be sure to check out my other stories if you want to.**


	2. Chapter 2: Yoshi's Skills

The next morning, Sakura was practically sprinting to practice. She had accidentally overslept by a few minutes, and was going to be late if she didn't hurry. She rushed to put her clothes on, but accidentally put her shirt on backwards in the panic, and put a piece of toast in her mouth before she rushed out the door, with the toast still hanging out of her mouth.  
 _"Oooh, I can't believe I overslept!"_ she internally screamed. _"Misaki and the others are gonna kill me!"_

Eventually, she made it to the gym, panting her lungs out. But when she got there, she was surprised to see the other Berserkers standing outside, Misaki included among them. She scratched her head for a bit.  
"What's going on?" she asked.  
"Someone locked our gym up. We can't get in." Misaki answered. "And I don't have any keys on me at the moment. So until Rio's helper comes along, we're stuck out here."  
"Helper?" Sakura questioned. "Who is it?"  
"That would be me." a male voice said. Sakura turned her head to the voice, and was shocked to see that it was the boy who saved her and Rio last night. He was wearing a black tank-top, red sweatpants, and black boots with red linings. His current attire left his toned arms in plain view, and Sakura also noticed three scars on his right forearm. But still, she blushed internally, thinking about what the rest of his body was like.

"Yoshi?" she asked, surprised yet still happy. Yoshi smirked and bowed.  
"Indeed it is, milady." he replied politely. "I heard of your current situation, and luckily for you, I know how to pick locks."  
"Great!" Sakura cheered. "But… how?"  
"I have two sisters that like to keep secrets and lock me out of the house for the fun of it." Yoshi told her. "I had to learn in order to survive with them." The girls began to laugh a bit, making Yoshi's face grow red with embarrassment. "S-S-Shut up!" he yelled out. "You don't know what it's like to live with them."  
Sakura calmed herself a bit before speaking. "I'm sorry. It's just that is pretty funny." Yoshi just looked at her with an annoyed expression. But he went over to the door and took out a hair pin from his pocket. He then started to pick the lock, holding his ear close to it to listen for a click. Rio watched him and noticed how focused he looked, and if she even made the slightest sound, he would shoot a sharp look at her and place a finger up to his lips, telling her to be quiet before he resumed his task.

Soon, Yoshi heard a click, and his face lit up. "Booyah." he said to himself as he took the hair pin out and put it back in his pocket. Then he opened the door and held it open for everyone to enter. As everyone entered, they thanked him as they passed by him.  
"Thanks for the help… again." Sakura said with a slight laugh at the end.  
"Hey, no problem." Yoshi said with a shrug. "If you need me, just let me know."  
"Can do." Sakura said.  
"Also… can I rest up in that tree for a while?" Yoshi asked. Sakura looked at him in confusion as to why. "I was doing some of my daily exercises and I'm a bit tired."  
"Umm..." Sakura began, still unsure of how to answer the question. "I suppose so… but why?"  
"I like hanging out in trees. It's calm up there, I get to see certain wildlife, like squirrels, up close, and it's a good ambush point in case Luciana tries to attack me." Yoshi explained. Sakura still looked at him oddly, but smiled and thanked him again for his help and went inside. Yoshi then went up into the tree and began to take a short rest.

As Yoshi was up in the tree resting, the Berserkers were inside, training. He could even hear two sparring against each other, but only very faintly. Yoshi let out a long sigh.  
"If only you weren't such a coward..." he mumbled to himself. "If you weren't constantly holding yourself back… who knows how far you could go?"

But as he was talking to himself, he heard footsteps and talking down below. He carefully maneuvered himself so that he could see who it was. It was Luciana, Ayane, and Gracia. Yoshi glared.  
 _"What are they doing here?"_ he asked himself.

"So, are you sure this is a good idea?" Gracia asked.  
"Look, trust us; this will be a walk in the park. We already have several others on the inside. All we need to do is simply waltz in, Luciana gives those in hiding the signal to strike, and we rush anyone close to us. But, we leave Sakura to Luciana." Ayane said.  
"But… what about Misaki?" Gracia asked.  
"We've fought before… but she's too much for me to handle." Luciana admitted. "Even in spite of joining the Cutthroats, I still can't beat her. She's THAT good."

"Cutthroats?" Yoshi mouthed in confusion.

"But you've improved since your last match against her, and she doesn't have Juri to help her this time… as far as we know, anyways." Gracia said, trying to get Luciana to go for Misaki again.  
"No. I only want Sakura." Luciana said firmly. Gracia let out a long sigh in defeat.  
"Fine..." she said.  
"Good girl." Ayane said as she patted Gracia on the head.

As Ayane and Gracia walked into the gym, Yoshi had to wait; if he attacked now, they could seriously harm the girls. He couldn't let that happen. So he had to sit and wait for his moment to strike.

 ***** **Inside the gym ***

Ayane and Gracia walked into the gym with big smirks on their faces. All the wrestlers stopped what they were doing and looked over to see the two intruders, glaring at them. Misaki herself seemed especially annoyed, while Sakura and Rio looked ready to attack.  
"What do you want?" Misaki asked.  
"Oh… not much." Ayane said while twirling some hair on her finger. "Just a little thing called revenge."  
Misaki rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You've never been able to beat me before, and I see no reason to feel this will end ay differently. We have you grossly outnumbered." The Berserkers all shouted in agreement.  
"For now, at least." Gracia retorted while crossing her arms. Misaki now looked confused.

 *** Outside the gym ***

Luciana pulled out her phone and called one of her wrestlers.  
"Begin the attack. NOW!" she ordered.  
"We're on it!" the wrestler replied back.

 *** Inside the gym ***

All at once, several other wrestlers jump out and ambush the Berserkers, one for each of them. The Berserkers were caught off-guard, none of them expecting the ambush. But they still fought back a best they could. Gracia and Ayane made a break for Sakura and Rio, but unlike the others, they were ready. But once Luciana walked in, she made her rounds, attacking each Berserker with a hard hit to the gut, allowing the others to overpower them. With a wicked smirk, she then entered the ring where Sakura and Rio were fighting her comrades. She first helped Ayane take down Rio. Ayane had Rio in a Full Nelson, and Luciana attacked with a fierce thrust-kick to Rio's chin, and Ayane used that force to suplex Rio. Ayane went down and locked Rio into a chock hold, but it was mostly meant to hold her down.  
"Rio!" Sakura cried out. "Hang on! I got you!" But before she could get to her, Gracia had wrapped her arms around Sakura's waist and German Suplexed her. Before Sakura had a chance to get up, Luciana mashed her boot hard into Sakura's stomach, holding her in place. Sakura struggled to get Luciana off of her, but Luciana had a bigger advantage.

"Surprised to see us, princess?" Luciana asked wickedly. Sakura growled in anger, still trying to get her boot off her stomach. But Luciana responded by grinded her heel into Sakura's gut, making Sakura wince and whimper in pain. She tried to hold her screams in, but it was getting harder with each twist of her foot. "You didn't think we'd let you of THAT easily, did you?"  
"You filth low-lifes!" Sakura spat, her voice laced with venom. Luciana glared darkly and stomped Sakura's stomach very hard, forcing a scream to escape from her.  
"The only low-life here is YOU." Luciana spat. "I've never seen a worse joke in my life; a stupid idol girl like you..." she began with her voice laced with disdain. "Thinking they can become pro wrestlers like us REAL fighters. And it's a joke that I'm freaking sick off."  
"BULL CRAP!" Rio snapped. "REAL WRESTLERS DON'T AMBUSH PEOPLE FOR THE FUN OF IT! YOU AND YOUR 'WRESTLERS' ARE MERE THUGS THAT HAVE TO RESORT TO THE LOWEST TACTICS OUT THERE TO WIN!" Luciana's blood was boiling at this point. She stormed over to the white-haired wrestler and kicked her hard across the face. Sakura seized that moment to get up, but Gracia and Ayane intercepted her and each delivered a strong punch to her gut where Luciana had been hurting, forcing another pained scream to leave Sakura's mouth. She dropped to her knees, clutching her stomach, but the two wrestlers forcefully grabbed her by her arms and yanked her up.

Luciana turned her attention back on Sakura, striking her signature smirk and walking over to the weakened idol-turned-wrestler. Lucina grabbed her by the throat and made her look her in the eyes. Sakura had pain and rage burning inside her eyes, but was unable to unleash it due to her current state.  
"I tried to give you a chance to leave wrestling and go back to your stupid idol friends." Luciana began. "And yet, here you are; at the Berserker gym, training." she shook her head. "You really don't have any sense… do you?"  
"Maybe not..." Sakura admitted. "But I've got more heart than you do, you black-hearted, yellow-bellied b-" Luciana silenced her by slashing her left cheek with her sharp nails, managing to draw blood. Rio struggled with all her might to break out and give Luciana the beat-down of a life-time, but Luciana ignored her and focused on Sakura.  
"I want you to remember this moment, fool; this is proof that you'll NEVER be ANYTHING but some stupid, prissy little idol brat!" she spat in Sakura's face as she reared her fist back to punch Sakura.

 ***** **WHISTLE! ***

A lone whistle pierced the air, making Luciana look up, only to meet with a rock that nailed her right in the left eye. She let out a loud yell of pain as she clutched her eye. Everyone turned to the source of the whistle and the one who sent the rock flying at Luciana. Sakura and Rio smiled big when they saw who it was.

Yoshi Hirano with his slingshot.

Luciana looked over at Yoshi, still clutching her left eye while she glared a dagger at him with her right eye. She said something to him in Spanish with anger in her voice. Yoshi merely shrugged it off with a "pfft".

"You must REALLY love that stupid toy, huh?!" she asked. Yoshi smirked big.  
"You could say that, yeah." he replied bluntly. "Besides… it makes up for all the years of your bullying when we were living back in Mexico. Yeah… don't think I forgot about those days." he said with anger in his voice.  
"Please… I'm a member of the Cutthroats, and they only accept the best of the best." Luciana taunted. But all the Berserkers coughed out "bull crap". "And I know you didn't do so well growing up. I remember seeing you in the ring, and I remember how many times you got your butt handed to you."  
Yoshi glared and a short growl escaped his mouth. But it only lasted for a few seconds before his smirk returned. "I was younger and weaker then. But now, I'm older, more experienced, and I'm tougher than ever. Plus, I've beaten you many times before. So if you think THIS will be any different… think AGAIN." Luciana merely laughed his comment off.  
"Please… you're not even in the league. How can I believe you or take you seriously?" she asked mockingly. "Then again… I doubt they'd allow an autistic retard like YOU into the league anyways."

Those words…  
Those… two… words… "autistic retard"…  
Those words struck Yoshi deep.

For many years, he had been bullied because of his quirks, and most of them came from Luciana. He had tried many times to be normal like everyone else, but he always slipped back into his natural mannerisms. His mom had taught him to embrace his true self and to not let what people said get to him, but he still found it hard. But he's been called by those two words too many times, and he's had enough.

Yoshi's smirk was replaced with a gritted teeth and glaring eyes. He began to see red, and he clenched his fists so hard his knuckles became white. He looked like he'd could make Wolverine shake in his boots. He began to slowly make his way towards the ring, not saying a single word. Tensions among the other wrestlers were high. Especially Luciana, who actually looked worried; as she had seen this side of him before.

Once he was in the ring, Yoshi placed both his palms together and closed his eyes, deeply inhaling through his nose, and exhaling through his mouth.  
"Oh, what's the matter?" Luciana asked mockingly, masking her true emotion; fear. "Are you trying to be a big boy and not cry? Do you need your mama?"

No reply.  
Yoshi just kept taking deep breaths.

"Or are you praying that I don't beat your sorry tail?" Luciana asked him.

Finally, she got an answer.

Once Yoshi had calmed down enough, he interlocked his fingers, reared back, and swung hard at Luciana, dropping her to the ground like a sack of potatoes. The Berserkers winced and shouted in empathetic pain; they've experienced blows like that.  
"OH-HO! DANG! THIS GUY JUST WENT FROM 0 TO 100 _REAL_ QUICK!" Rio shouted excitedly.

Luciana soon picked herself up, rubbing her nose in pain and even wiping off some blood. She looked over at Yoshi with anger in her eyes. Yoshi just stared back just as intensely.  
"I see… I've struck a nerve with you, huh?" Luciana asked.  
"What do you think?" Yoshi asked in a "did you seriously JUST ask that?" manner. Luciana smirked once more.  
"So… what say we… have a little tussle?" she suggested. "If you win, we'll leave peacefully."  
"I'd rather not." Yoshi admitted.  
"Pfft. A guy like you with the blood of two professional wrestlers running through your veins NOT wanting to wrestle?" Luciana asked. Sakura and Rio was shocked.  
"Wait… your parents are wrestlers?" Sakura asked.  
"My dad's a wrestler from Japan, and my mom's a luchadora from Mexico." Yoshi replied. "They trained me to wrestle since I was a little kid. And like Luciana said, I didn't do well in Mexico when I lived there. But I was younger then, and even THEN, I still did pretty well for a guy in my weight-class."  
"So what's holding you back here?" Rio asked, curious as to why he's not in a wrestling league.  
"Me." Yoshi replied. "I'm holding myself back. This isn't Mexico, my dear; this is Japan. The playing field is much different. I don't feel I'm good enough to go pro."

"Well then… how about we find out if you truly ARE ready." Luciana suggested. "A wrestling match to find out, once and for all, which of us is the best." Yoshi did find her offer intriguing.  
"So… you're saying if I agree to face you in the ring… we can finally put our rivalry to rest?" Yoshi asked, just to be clear.  
"Uh-huh." Luciana asked. "This Saturday."  
"Where will we fight?" Yoshi asked.  
"Why not here?" Sakura asked.  
"No, no, no." Luciana denied. "I want it to be public. I want our fight to be KNOWN."  
"Ok. But how… may I ask… do you intend to test to see if I'm good enough to go pro?" Yoshi asked as he leaned against a turnbuckle, crossed his arms, and folded one foot over the other.  
"Like this." Luciana answered with a smirk as she snapped her fingers. "AYANE! GET HIM!"  
"With pleasure!" Ayane said, charging at Yoshi. Yoshi's eyes widened and he ducked out of the way. Yoshi grinned big.  
"Well… time to see if my words ring true. IKU ZE!" he yelled out while getting into a fighting stance.

Luciana, Gracia, Sakura, and Rio left the ring, leaving Yoshi and Ayane to themselves.  
"I hope you're ready!" Ayane yelled.  
"Let's see what you can do!" Yoshi retorted.  
Ayane charged at Yoshi again, but Yoshi ducked out of the way again. Ayane stopped and turned to face Yoshi before running to him once more. Ayane tried to clothesline him, but he ducked behind her, looped his arms around her waist and German Suplexed her. Ayane growled as she got up, then tried to throw another punch at him, but he caught her arm in an arm drag, slamming her back down. As she was down, Yoshi ran in the other direction, waiting for her to show a sign of getting up. Ayane finally stood up after a few moments, and Yoshi immediately seized the opportunity and charged at her. He looked like he was about to drop-kick her, but he instead wrapped his legs around her neck, contorted his body a bit, and flung her.  
"The Hurricanrana. Ya gotta love it." Yoshi said smugly as he got back up. The others watching were impressed by his speed and just how effortless he's making it look in there.

Ayane got back up and looked over at Yoshi.  
"Don't get too cocky, boy." she told him. Yoshi just shrugged his shoulders in mock understanding.  
"Jeez… this guy can be fearless, huh?" Rio asked Sakura.  
"If what he said is right, I'd imagine so." she replied back.

Ayane rushed Yoshi trying to throw a punch, but Yoshi dodged it and tried to throw a punch of his own, but she was expecting it and dodged it, then attacked with a blow to the gut. Yoshi clutched his gut, but Ayane took advantage of his current position and Power Bombed him. Yoshi struggled to get up; that Power Bomb hit him hard. Ayane smirked and ran up to a nearby turnbuckle, getting up to the top. She looked down at Yoshi, who was still wincing, and let out another smirk. She then jumped off, attempting to attack with a flying press, but Yoshi folded his knees inwards so that he was covering his stomach. Ayane only had a few short moments to regret her decision before crashing down on his legs, hurting Yoshi slightly, but dealing a heavy blow to her. Yoshi got up and dusted below his knees off. He pulled her up by her arm, but she punched him in the face when she was on her feet, making him stagger back. Ayane then grabbed him and threw him against the ropes, then caught him on the rebound, attempting to perform a backbreaker, but he managed to catch her head in between his legs, and he threw her with another Hurricanrana.

Yoshi decided to try something new. Ayane rushed him and attempted to throw a fierce right hook, but he barely dodged it; the punch just barely grazed his face. Yoshi caught her arm and threw her against the ropes, then he waited for her to come back on the rebound, then he attacked with a swift and hard thrust kick right to Ayane's chin. The wrestlers watching all winced and shouted; that attack hit hard. Yoshi smiled down at Ayane victoriously then ran to the ropes, jumped up on one of them, then Lionsaulted off the ropes and crashed down on Ayane. Yoshi was up on his knees for a few seconds before he laid back down on her, pinning her. Moe decided to count the pin-fall.  
"One! Two! Three!" she counted, then made a few dinging noises. "And the winner is… YOSHI!"

The Cutthroats yelled in protest and defeat, while the Berserkers cheered in victory. Luciana growled and slammed her fist on the bench she was on. She got up and stormed over to the ring, jumped inside, and pulled Yoshi off Ayane.  
"Don't let this give you a swollen ego." she snapped. Yoshi just stared at her with an "I don't care" face. "I'm still gonna crush you this Saturday."  
"I'll be waiting." Yoshi simply told her. Luciana pushed him away and called her teammates to come with her. One by one, they all left the gym, until Luciana herself remained.  
"Are you sure you wanna fight against me? Because it seems to me that you can't do crap without your little goons to help you." Yoshi stated. "I took down Ayane, and now you're ALL retreating with your tails between your legs." Luciana looked back at him, then turned and left, shouting something at him in Spanish.

Soon, all the Cutthroats had left, leaving the Berserkers and Yoshi. Yoshi went to one of the turnbuckles, climbed up, and sat on the top of it, crossing his legs figure-4 style. He let out a long sigh, partly because he was a bit tired, and because he was hoping for more of a challenge.

The Berserkers were talking among themselves, commenting on the match. When they were done, Rio stood up and entered the ring. She stood a few feet in front of Yoshi and made a gesture with her finger, beckoning him to come to her. Yoshi obeyed and jumped off, walking towards Rio. When he was right in front of her, Rio raised one hand up. Yoshi was confused and looked at her hand, only for her to slap him right across the face.

"HEY! WHAT THE HECK?!" Yoshi yelled in anger.  
"What the heck are YOU talking about, not being good enough to go pro?" Rio asked him. "You absolutely man-handled her. You made that fight look so easy!"  
"So?" Yoshi asked, not understanding what the big deal was. "It was just Luciana. I've handled her many times before." Rio face-palmed.  
"I guess I wouldn't expect a guy to understand." she stated.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Yoshi asked, curious as to what she meant.  
"Those were Cutthroats. They've quickly become one of the most ruthless, aggressive, and nastiest wrestlers in the league. While most rely on dirty tactics, there are still those that have honor and fight fair… and fierce." Rio explained. "Ask Misaki." Yoshi looked over at Misaki to see her nodding her head.  
"It's true. While most have to resort to cheap tactics, the ones that fight fair are some of the best wrestlers I've seen recently. Me and Juri once fought against Ayane and Gracia, and while we won that fight, it was still tough." Misaki explained to Yoshi. "They're sort of in-between the fighting fair and cheap tactics spectrum. Though they tend to lean more towards fighting fair." she added.  
"And keep this in mind; Misaki is a title-holder, and Juri can rival her. If YOU can handle one of them by yourself, you should be fine against Luciana." Sakura explained.  
"I… I suppose so..." Yoshi said hesitantly. "But… I still don't know… I mean, like I said, this is Japan. And… I don't think I'd be good enough, playing with the big boys."  
"If I let that stop me, do you think I'd be where I am today?" Sakura asked, crossing her arms.  
"Last I remember, you were about to quit after your 50th loss." Misaki pointed out. Sakura's eyes widened and she turned her head towards Misaki, who was now smirking a bit. "Yeah, don't think I didn't notice that letter of resignation when I called you to spar with me."

"Look, I want to join the wrestling league… I really do… but… it's just that I… I..." Yoshi said, stammering nervously. "I just… don't want to let my parents down. They were such magnificent wrestlers, and they taught me all that I know. But when I was in Mexico, I lost just about every single match I fought in. And while it's true that I'm better now than I used to be… I just fear the others will be better."  
"Well… what if we can help you out a bit more?" Sakura suggested. "We can help to train you. We can be your sparring partners."  
"We could start tomorrow." Moe added. "With our help, you'll be more than ready for that fight on Saturday. And after that, it's your choice as to whether or not you'll join the wrestling league."  
"But that's even IF we can assign a match for me and Luciana." Yoshi pointed out. "How are they gonna arrange that?"  
"I'll handle it. Don't worry; it'll be in good hands." Misaki told him.  
"Are you sure?" Yoshi asked, still in doubt.  
"Positive." Misaki assured him, crossing her heart. "Now run along. We have to train, and we're behind schedule."  
"Ok." Yoshi said as he bowed to them. "See ya around." As he left the ring and made his way to the door, Sakura stopped him and gave him a slip of paper that was folded up.  
"In case you decide to call us to help you spar." she told him. Yoshi looked at her in confusion before he opened the slip of paper. Inside was a phone number; Sakura's number.  
"And if not… do I give it back?" Yoshi asked.  
"No. You can keep it. I mean, if you decide you just want to talk or hang out, you can give me a call." Sakura told him with a smile. As she rejoined her group, Yoshi noticed a few "oohs" in the crowd. Then he noticed Rio smirking at him, followed by her purring in a suggestive manner. Yoshi was confused, but thanked them again and turned on his heel to leave.

Once he was gone, Misaki turned to Rio.  
"Did you record that?" she asked. Rio smirked, shaking her phone a bit.  
"Oh, heck yes." she said. "No way I was going to let this fight go unrecorded."  
"Good. Forward it to me, and I'll handle the rest." Misaki instructed.  
"You got it, ma'am." Rio said.

So now, the sands of time were pouring for Yoshi. On Saturday, he and Luciana would finally have their big match to settle their rivalry once and for all.  
Who will win?  
That answer will come another day.

 *** HOLY CRAP! This one was even longer than the last one! I'm honestly not even trying to make them this long, either. But given the nature of this series, it should be expected that the chapters will be long. Anyways, if you liked it, be sure to let me know if you want, and also let me know what I need to work on in future chapters and stories. And if you'd like to see more with Yoshi, tell me.  
With that said, I'm Foxboy614, and I'll see y'all next time. GOD BLESS YA!**


	3. Chapter 3: Yoshi's Village

Later that day, Rio sent the video of the match to Misaki, who then sent it to Kanae, who THEN used it to write a story and see if they could arrange a match between Yoshi and Luciana.

Once the task was done, all that was left to do was wait to hear a response from the board.

 *** The Next Day ***

Misaki and Ryuu decided to take the Berserkers out of the gym and into the coutry-side for a calmer day. Misaki suggested it, saying that she felt the others had earned a day off. Also, there was a nice village nearby and a large pond. The girls were instructed to bring casual clothes and a swimsuit, just in case they get to go for a swim in the lake. Not to mention, she had been swarmed by scouts from the men's division, trying to get info on Yoshi.

Once everyone had arrived at the gym, they awaited their other party to show up. Misaki heard that there would be two others joining them.  
"Where are they?" Moe asked impatiently. "I figured they would've been here by now."  
"Patience, my friend. Patience." Misaki said, trying to calm the young martial artist wrestler. "They'll be here shortly." Moe let out a long sigh in annoyance.  
"Fine..." she said as she sat down with her legs criss-crossed and her arms crossed. Sakura chuckled in amusement and patted Moe on the shoulder.

"Sorry we're late. I had to make a side-stop." a female voice said. The Berserkers turned their heads to see Juri Sanada and Elena walking up to the gym.  
"Glad to see you finally made it." Misaki said with a grin as she walked up to Juri and shook her hand.  
"Hi Sakura!" Elena said happily as she gave her friend a hug.  
"Hi Elena!" Sakura replied just as happily, returning the hug.  
"So now that they're here, NOW can we leave?" Moe asked.  
"Yes. Now we can." Misaki said with a hard-to-notice-grin.  
"Oh… FINALLY." Moe said in a hammy manner. The others tried to stiffle their laughter, but Sakura and Elena didn't; they just allowed themselves to laugh.

So now that everyone is together, they loaded up into a bus they had rented and were soon heading out to the country-side. As they were on the bus, they were all talking among each other about all sorts of topics. As for Sakura and Rio, they were filling Elena in on what had happened, from the attack to Yoshi.  
"So he took on one of their teammates… and they all turned and left?" Elena asked, finding what happened unbelievable.  
"It's true. I still have the video." Rio stated. "Heck, it's online. I hear it went viral in a matter of hours." Rio then took her phone out and showed Elena the video. She was actually impressed with how he handled the situation.  
"Well, I'll be danged." Elena said, amazed at his skills.  
"And that's another thing abut him; he seems to have a few contradictions." Rio said.  
"What do you mean?" Elena asked, curious for an answer.  
"He told us he didn't feel he could go pro." Sakura answered. Elena looked at her like she was crazy, then at the video, then back at Sakura.  
"Are you serious?" Elena asked in disbelief.  
"I wish I wasn't." Sakura admitted.  
"Unbelievable." Elena muttered. "He is handsome though, and he sounds like a good guy."  
"That is true." Sakura said in agreement.  
"Also, I think Sakura here has a little interest in Yoshi. Am I right?" Rio teased, nudging Sakura in her side.  
"I want to get to know him better before I make any other decision." Sakura said with a red face.  
"Sounds like a good idea to me." Rio said in understanding.

Luckily for the girls, the village wasn't too far, and they were there within a few minutes. Upon arrival, they were greeted by a few of the locals. Already, things were going off to a good start. So they continued talking to the locals, getting to now them and what it was like to live in the village.  
"I'm already liking it here." Sakura whispered to Elena.  
"Me too." Elena whispered back.

Once they were done talking to what locals had come to greet them, it was nearing lunch time, and everyone was starting to get hungry. So Misaki stopped the first person who passed by to ask for directions to the nearest eating establishment.  
"Excuse me, sir." she said politely. "Do you know where we can get something to eat?"  
"Yep. Just follow the flute music. Ichiro usually plays over by the kirin statue. And there's a cafe near it. So you find Ichiro, you'll find the cafe." he replied.  
"Ok. Thank you." Misaki said as she bowed. The man bowed back.

From there, they all headed further into the village, following the music. As the traveled, they heard some of the locals muttering among each other. Sakura could've sworn she heard them talking about what happened at the gym. Then again, the video did apparently go viral since the night of the incident.

In the center of the area, there was a large kirin statue carved out of jade. It stood about two stories tall, and had a stone base with ornate carvings going around it. And sitting on the base was a young male playing the flute. He had fair skin, an "X" shaped scar in between his eyes, and three scars on the left side of his jaw. He had short jet- black hair, with the right bang covering his right eye. He was wearing a gray tank-top with tribal-like markings in the shape of a wolf head, a black vest, and long black pants with grey and white shoes. Rio flinched a bit when she saw him.

"Hi there." Sakura greeted. Ichiro stopped playing the flute and looked at Sakura. They could now see that he had spring-green eyes.  
"Hello there ma'am." he said calmly. "My name's Ichiro Azai. And you must be Sakura Hagiwara, I take it? And with you are the other Berserkers?"  
"Y-Yeah!" Sakura said, amazed that he knew. "How did you know?"  
"I've seen you on TV, and my friend told me about you." Ichiro replied.  
"Who's your friend? Is he cute?" Elena asked. Sakura merely rolled her eyes in an amused manner.  
"Well… he can be a klutz at times." Ichiro told her. "Does that count?"  
"How's he a klutz?" Elena asked, curious for an answer.

 *** SNAP! *  
* CRASH! ***  
"GYAAAHHH!" a male yelled out.  
 *** THUD! ***

"… ow..." the male said, his face in the dirt and grass.  
"THAT'S how." Ichiro answered, pointing over to the guy who just fell out of the tree. As the guy got up, the girls got a good look at the boy that fell.  
"Yoshi?" Sakura questioned. Yoshi finally got up and cracked a small grin.  
"Wassup?" he asked casually, acting as if nothing happened.  
"Are you ok?" Sakura asked.  
"I've had far worse." Yoshi said with a shrug of his shoulders. "So, what brings you to our neck of the woods?"  
"You live here?" Elena asked.  
"Aye. Lived here since I was 16." Yoshi replied.  
"Cool." Sakura commented. "It's a nice place here."  
"Thanks." Yoshi said with a smile. "I can't do cities. They're too loud, dirty, and chaotic. Out here though, it's clean, the people are nice, and its quiet. My kind of place. Not to mention… where I lived in Mexico was… not suitable for families, you know?"  
"I suppose." Sakura said.

"So, Ichiro, this is Sakura Hagiwara." Yoshi said.  
"Pleasure to meet you ma'am." Ichiro said as he shook her hand.  
"Good to see you too." Sakura replied.

"I'm Moe." she said excitedly. Ichiro was caught off-guard by her energy, but he laughed a bit and shook her hand nonetheless.  
"Nice to meet you too, ma'am." he said, smiling big.  
"I'm Sakura's pupil. I was a big fan hers, so I wanted to learn under her instruction." Moe explained.  
"Even though I was FAR from worthy." Sakura pointed out. "Nevertheless, I'm proud to have her as a pupil." she added with a smile. Moe smiled and gave Sakura a big hug. Ichiro also smiled, finding their interaction cute.

"I'm Chinatsu." she said, shaking Ichiro's hand.  
"Nice to finally meet you. Kenji told me about you, but I've just never SEEN you in person." Ichiro stated.  
"He talks about me?" Chinatsu asked while blushing a bit.  
"Uh-huh." Ichiro replied. "He's told us about how pretty he found you, how nice you are, and that he wants to officially date you when the time is right for the both of you." Now Chinatsu was blushing harder than before.  
"Well… I want to… but… I'm a little nervous." she pointed out.  
"Relax. You don't have to worry much. He's a great guy." Ichiro assured her. Chinatsu seemed to relax a bit.

"My name is Misaki. I'm Sakura's mentor." she said, introducing herself.  
"How's it going?" Ichiro asked politely.  
"Good, thank you." Misaki answered. "And this is my rival/friend, Juri."  
"Pleasure to meet you." Juri said, shaking Ichiro's hand.  
"Pleasure to meet you too, ma'am." Ichiro replied. Juri looked over and noticed Yoshi, who was now perched on the base of the kirin statue like a bird.

"Hey Yoshi. How's life been treating you?" she asked.  
"All's well. I'm alive. I'm able to walk. Everything checks out nicely." Yoshi replied happily. Juri giggled at his answer.  
"How's Hanzo doing?" Juri asked.  
"Doing good." Yoshi answered. "He absolutely dominated in his most recent match. By the way, how are things going between you two?"  
"It's been really good." Juri replied. "We went out to a nice restaurant yesterday."

Sakura and Misaki had to do a double-take; Yoshi knew Juri on a personal level?  
"Wait a minute… you know her?" Sakura asked, curious for an answer.  
"Aye." Yoshi replied, not catching her shock. "She's dating Hanzo, who's in the Animal Squadron. My friend, Ichiro, as well as Kenji, are in the Animal Squadron too. Hanzo's told me a lot about Juri, and I've gotten a few chances to meet her." he explained.  
"That's pretty cool." Sakura commented.  
"Aye." Yoshi said with a smile.

Ichiro continued to watch Yoshi and Juri talk and catch up about certain events. He always loved it when Yoshi came out of his shell and talked to people. He knows how shy the boy can be, so when he talks in full sentences and talks loud enough so he is not mumbling is always a good thing to see.

"Now… anyways… where was I?" Ichiro asked, turning his attention back to the girls.  
"I believe I'm next. My name is Elena. I'm Sakura's friend, both in the ring, and onstage." Elena said, introducing herhself.  
"Good to meet you Elena." Ichiro said as he shook her hand. "So, what do you mean by 'in the ring, and onstage' as you put it?" he asked curiously.  
"Well, you see, me and Sakura had a match because I wanted her to come back to Sweet Diva so badly. So I had Juri train me enough, so I could beat her and convince her to come back. However, I lost that match, but I regained my friendship with Sakura, and NOW, we're juggling both wrestling AND singing." Elena explained. Ichiro's eyes went as wide as saucers. NEVER has he heard of ANYONE do that.  
"...Dang." was all he could manage. Elena giggled in response.  
"Yeah, it's a handful. But we manage." she told him.

From there, Ichiro went and talked to the other members of Berserker, getting to know them a bit and see how they've been. He only had one person left to talk to; Rio. As he made his way over to her, both wrestlers stopped and flinched, anger in their eyes.

Both Ichiro and Rio just stared each other down intensely. And their gazing didn't go unnoticed; Sakura, Moe, Elena, and several others noticed it. There was dead silence among them; they've seen how aggressive Rio is, as well as how aggressive Ichiro could be. And judging by their reaction to seeing each other, it left Sakura and Yoshi thinking that the two had known each other prior to today.

"So… do you two know each other?" Sakura asked, wanting some clarity.  
"Regrettably." Rio told her.  
"Hey. Knowing you isn't something I like either, snow-head." Ichiro told Rio, earning him an angry glare.  
"I TOLD you not to call me that." she said, anger laced in her voice.  
"Or what?" Ichiro challenged. Rio glared and gritted her teeth before tackling him to the ground. From there, the two wrestlers were punching, kicking, clawing, and even biting each other. And at one point, Ichiro locked her in a Dragon Sleeper and tightened his grip. Rio struggled greatly to break free of his grasp, but he was too strong for her.

The other wrestlers watching them watched on; they wanted to help, but they felt the situation would escalate. But little did they know that there was one man walking up who WASN'T afraid to do something.

The man had blue eyes, jet-black hair with his right bang being more prominent than the left, and in the back, his hair reached down to the middle of his shoulder blades, and he had a well-trimmed mustache/beard combo. He was wearing a blue trench-coat with white linings, a black shirt underneath, long dark-blue pants, a black belt with a silver buckle, and black boots."  
 _ ***A/N: When thinking of what he looks like physically, think Xiahou Dun from Dynasty Warriors (which I do not own), and you're not to far off.**_ _ **As for his**_ _ **voice,**_ _ **think the same.**_

"ICHIRO! RIO! ENOUGH!" he yelled out, startling the others and making Ichiro and Rio stop fighting. The two immediately broke a way and stood up.  
"C-C-Coach Katsu!" Ichiro stammered.  
"N-N-Nice to see you. You look good today." Rio said worriedly. Katsu looked at them both and growled in annoyance and anger. Then he placed one hand on the side of each of their heads and banged their heads together, making them both fall to the ground, grasping their heads in pain and groaning.  
"I swear to my time, if you keep fighting like this, I'll chain you both together; I'll FORCE you to get along if I have to." he told them.

"Uh… hello, Mr. Katsu." Yoshi said nervously, backing up closer to the statue.  
"Oh, hi Yoshi." Katsu greeted, transitioning from cold to warm in mere moments, shocking everyone at his sudden change of mood. "How are things going with you?"  
"Going good." Yoshi replied. "Luciana tried to get me again. She sent one of her dogs to fight me."  
"Ayane?" Katsu asked. "How badly did you beat her?"  
"Pretty bad." Yoshi answered.  
"I'll bet. I saw that fight online." Katsu said, making Yoshi's eyes go wide.  
"What?! It went online?! How?!" Yoshi demanded, wanting an answer, and soon.  
"Someone posted it, it went viral around Japan, and the media got wind of it." Katsu explained.

"Then scouts from various different teams in the men's division flocked to us, wanting to get answers on Yoshi." Misaki added. Katsu raised his eyebrows in amusement.  
"I don't blame them; Yoshi has a lot of potential to be a great wrestler, but his own insecurities about letting his family down is always holding him back." Katsu explained. "However, I hope to get him out of his shell soon. He's capable of more than he thinks he is."

"Look Katsu, it's not that I don't feel I'm good, it's… it's just I don't feel I'm good enough." Yoshi explained, his nervousness returning once again.  
"Kid, relax. You'll do fine." Katsu assured him. "I mean, if Sakura could do it, then surely you can as well." he added, gesturing over to Sakura. Sakura gave an agreeing nod before looking at Katsu in an upset manner once what he said finally sank in. Ichiro snickered, earning him a glare from Katsu, who is still mad at him for his conduct.  
"I don't know why you're laughing. You were similar to her for a while, but instead of the Boston Crab, it was the Bear Hug."  
"THAT CRAP HURTS AND YOU KNOW IT!" Ichiro shot back in defense.  
"Boston Crab hurts worse though." Sakura simply stated.

"Well, as much as I'd love to stay and talk, I must be getting back to the gym. Ichiro, you come with me. I need to teach you a lesson about conduct." Katsu said as he grabbed Ichiro's arm forcefully.  
"Yes sir." Ichiro replied, knowing what was coming.  
"And I'LL handle Rio." Misaki said as she reached her hand back and grabbed the back of an escaping Rio's shirt's collar, making Rio gag a bit.  
"...Crap..." Rio muttered, bracing for what was to come.  
"But after we eat right?" Moe asked, still hungry.  
"And swimming… assuming we can?" Sakura asked, her question more directed towards Katsu.  
"We don't mind if you use the lake to swim." Katsu told them. "If you want to swim, have at it."  
"Thank you sir." Sakura said as she shook his hand.

As Katsu left with Ichiro, the girls finally went to the cafe to get something to eat, with Yoshi joining them. While everyone was eating, they talked about the types of things they could do while there. They noticed a few shops nearby, so they could look around and maybe do a little shopping as they allow their food to settle before they went swimming.

When everyone was done eating, they paid for their lunch and soon left to do their own thing for a while. Whether it be shopping or whatever else they had in mind.

But as for Yoshi, he resumed his place on the kirin statue base, getting lost in his thoughts again about the match this Saturday and whether or not he should join the league and live up to his family's legacy. He knew Katsu was right; he new he could accomplish great things, but because he's always insecure about his talents, he's constantly holding himself back, constantly keeping himself on a short leash. He knew that wasn't the right thing for a wrestler to do, let alone a guy with wrestler's blood flowing through his veins. Plus, he knew Ichiro, Kenji, and Hanzo, and he knew they were good friends that could help him out. And lastly, joining the league would be a good character-builder for him.

Grinning with determination, he finally made his decision; no longer would he allow himself or others stop him from pursuing the path of a wrestler. No more would he hold himself back, but rather push himself forward.

About thirty minutes had passed since he took his spot on the statue base and thought his decision over. And it wasn't long before the Berserkers, Juri, and Elena were heading over to the lake to swim.  
"Hey Yoshi!" Sakura called out. "We're about to head over to the lake. You wanna come and join us?"  
Yoshi's face went a bit red and he turned to look around and make sure she was really talking to him. "Me?" he asked, pointing to himself in confusion. Sakura nodded her head.  
"You are Yoshi, right?" she asked with a giggle.  
"Well, I mean, yeah, but- ...why?" Yoshi asked, wondering why she wanted him to join her and the others.  
"I just thought it'd be nice for you to tag along, and maybe get to know the others better." Sakura explained.  
"Well… I suppose so." Yoshi replied, rubbing the back of his head. "Just… let me get my swim trunks and other things, and I'll be right over."  
"Ok. Sweet. See you there." Sakura said with a smile as she turned on her heels and jogged to catch up with the others.

Yoshi watched her leave for a while before leaving to get his stuff to go swimming. But before he left, he turned back one last time and thought one last thing.

"If she can go pro, then so can I." he thought with a smile.

 *** Sorry there wasn't much of an actual story in this chapter. I'll try to make the next chapter better. Still, let me know how I did. Be sure to check out my other stories if you're interested.  
So without further ado, I bid y'all good day. God bless, and be happy.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Ten Beasts' Fury

Yoshi had finally gotten himself ready to join the girls at the lake. He was wearing a black tank-top, red swim-trunks with orange hawk-like designs on the sides, and black sandals. He also had a red towel with a large hawk design in the middle, yellow borders, and red-rimmed shades.

As he walked along the path to the lake, he saw two members of the Animal Squadron at a picnic table. And one of them was his other roommate, Kenji.

Kenji was a pretty tall young man, standing about 6'04'', and had long, spiky dark brown hair that reached to the middle of his shoulder blades, amber eyes, and a notch on his left ear. He had a muscular frame and had three long scars starting on his left chest and going downward diagonally across his chest and midsection. He also had three scars on his right shoulder. He was currently wearing a black tank-top with orange slash-like stripes on the sides and black pants with black and orange shoes.

And the second guy stood 6'05'', and had jet-black hair held in a low ponytail, sky blue eyes, and, while he wasn't as muscular, he still had a very well-toned frame. He wore a cyan tank-top with kanji on his chest that translated to "dragon", and blue jeans with blue and white boots.

"How's it goin' bud?" Kenji asked.  
"Hey Kenji. Hey Ryu." Yoshi greeted.  
"Where are you heading off to?" Ryu asked, observing Yoshi's current attire.  
"The lake. I promised Sakura I'd join her and the others." Yoshi replied nonchalantly.  
"Sakura? You mean that Hagiwara girl? The one from Berserk?" Kenji asked, wanting to be clear. "The team that Chinatsu is on as well?"  
"Yes indeed." Yoshi replied.  
"...Can I come?" Kenji asked.  
"Get your swim stuff and meet me there when you can." Yoshi told him.

Kenji wasted no time and took off for home.

The two watched him run and couoldn't help but laugh for a while.

"If only he'd run that fast for training." Ryu joked.  
"Heh. Yeah." Yoshi said.  
"...Say… would you mind if I came along too?" Ryu asked.  
"Well… I wouldn't mind… but how come?" Yoshi asked, curious.  
"Well, I've been wanting to grill for a while, and the lake seems like a good time and place." Ryu replied. "Plus… well… I was thinking… that if, maybe, Misaki was there… then..." he added, stammering like a school boy trying to ask a pretty girl out on a date.  
Yoshi noticed the stammering and his reddening face and couldn't help but grin. "Do you have a crush on Misaki?"  
"Uh… mmmaybe..." Ryu said. Yoshi shook his head, still grinning.  
"Well, I'm sure they won't mind you coming along either. So get your stuff and meet us down at the lake." he told Ryu.  
"Ok. Well, I'll see you in a bit." Ryu said as he got up and ran for home to get ready.

Yoshi watched for a few seconds before turning on his heels and shaking his head with a smile.  
He then resumed his advance towards the lake.

 *** Meanwhile ***

At the lake, the girls were already enjoying their time. Whether they were swimming, talking, sunbathing, or talking while swimming or sunbathing, everyone was going to make the most of their time at the lake.

"I think it's safe to say we earned this. Don't you think?" Sakura asked as she sunbathed in her white bikini.  
"No arguments there pal." Rio joked, lounging in her chair, clad in a purple bikini and wearing shades with purple rims. "I've been looking forward to a day like this for weeks."

After a few minutes, Sakura saw that Yoshi had finally arrived.  
"Hey Yoshi!" she greeted, waving at him happily. "Over here!"  
Yoshi looked over and saw Sakura and the girls, and smiled at them. "I see ya. I'm comin' down." he said as he jogged up to them. Yoshi greeted them calmly before going to set up a spot a short distance away from the girls.  
"No, no. Over here." Sakura said, beckoning him to come set up next to them.  
"No, I… I can't possibly." Yoshi stammered nervously.  
"Oh, come on. We don't bite." Sakura said, trying to convince him to come over.  
"But… I just… I thought I'd give you girls some space." Yoshi said, trying to defend his decision.  
"Look, just sit over there, and get it over with." Rio spoke up. But judging by the tone of her voice, they could tell she wasn't truly agitated. She seemed to be more pushing for Yoshi to get to know Sakura better.  
"Well… ok..." Yoshi gave in, picking up his stuff and setting up over near Sakura. Rio grinned smugly, looking over at Yoshi through her shades.

Once Yoshi sat down, Sakura could see him tense up, becoming as stiff as a board.  
"Are you ok?" she asked.  
"Oh… I'll live..." Yoshi answered. "I've just… never been this close to a girl before… not counting my sisters, of course."  
"I see..." Sakura said. "Are you going to swim?"  
"...May be..." Yoshi replied. "Though… I think I'd feel more comfy if I kept the shirt on."  
"And why is that?" Rio asked as she sat up, lowering her shades.  
"Because, I… I don't feel very comfy showing off my body around a bunch of girls..." Yoshi explained as his face got redder as the moments passed.  
"Well, considering what WE'RE wearing… I think you'll be fine." Sakura pointed out.  
"Not changing my mind though." Yoshi said as he crossed his arms.  
Rio rolled her eyes in mild amusement before walking over to Elena and whispering something in her ear before doing the same to Sakura. Both girls giggled at what Rio told them.

And luckily, Yoshi didn't catch on.

The girls used that to their advantage, and Sakura and Elena sneaked up behind Yoshi while Rio casually walked up to Yoshi. Yoshi had a bad feeling that something was gonna happen to him. And when he saw Rio nod her head once, he knew he was right. Yoshi's eyes grew big.

But it was too late.

"Get him!" Rio yelled as she, Sakura and Elena pounced on him.  
"Wha-?! What are you-?! How dare you?!" Yoshi yelled out in protest.  
"Sorry, but you forced our hands!" Rio said, not even trying to contain her laughter.  
"We wish there was another way!" Sakura said, also laughing.

Meanwhile, as Yoshi was getting ambushed, Misaki, Moe, Juri, and the others just watched on with wide eyes and giggles.

"Get off me! Oh, when I get my hands on you I'll-!" Yoshi began, but stopped when he felt his tank-top being lifted off his body and tossed to the side. The girls all got off and looked at their handiwork.

And all three started to blush. But Sakura's blush ran deeper.

Yoshi's face was burning red from embarrassment. But what caught the girls' eyes was his body. It wasn't muscular, but it was well-toned, and they could see the outline of his abs and muscles. That, combined with his embarrassed face, gave him both a hot and cute appearance.

 _"...Wow..."_ Rio thought.  
 _"He has a nice body..."_ Elena thought.  
 _"That explains a lot..."_ Sakura thought. _"And that body… I can imagine the line of girls that want to get a good look at him."_

"Well, I hope you're happy." Yoshi spat in embarrassment.  
"Oh, very much so." Sakura accidently blurted out, making Yoshi's face become even redder than before (if that was possible). The others giggled at her statement and his reaction.  
"Ah, just go jump in the lake. You'll feel better." Elena said.  
Yoshi let out a long sigh. "Very well." he said as he applied some sunscreen and ran to the water. Sakura watched him for a bit before deciding to go swimming herself, with Rio and Elena following behind.

From there, Yoshi pushed that earlier event out of his head and allowed himself to have fun in the water, even engaging some of the girls in splash fights.  
"So, have you given joining the wrestling league some thought?" Sakura asked.  
"Yeah… and I think it'll be good for me to join. I've been itching to get out of my shell and wrestle once more." Yoshi replied.  
"Sweet." Sakura replied happily.  
"I'll believe it when I see it." a male voice said. Sakura and Yoshi's faces changed, not expecting the new voice. They turned their heads to see Kenji standing there wearing black swim trunks with orange stripes on the side and black sandals.  
"Kenji? When did you get here?" Yoshi asked.  
"A few minutes ago, actually." Kenji replied. "Ryu and I have already set up over there." he added as he pointed over to Ryu. Ryu was wearing a white t-shirt with a blue dragon on the front, blue swim-trunks with white tribal marks on the side resembling a dragon, and blue sandals. And he was starting to grill some food. Ryu noticed Yoshi and the others and waved. They waved back.  
Misaki also happened to notice Ryu, a smile creeping across her lips. To her. He was a handsome young man, and he looked like a nice guy too.

"So… what did you mean by 'I'll believe it when I see it' exactly?" Sakura asked, curious about his statement.  
"This isn't the first time Yoshi has said that and back out." Kenji explained.  
"But I'm serious this time." Yoshi said in defense.  
"I've heard you say that too." Kenji bluntly stated.  
"I MEAN IT!" Yoshi yelled, starting to get mad. "I don't want to hold myself back anymore! I want to take up wrestling again!"  
Kenji let out a long sigh. "Look… I want to believe you. I really do." he explained. But Yoshi wasn't buying it. "But you always back out at the last minute, using excuses like stomach cramps, you feel sick after eating some bad sushi, heartburn, or whatever else you can think of."

Yoshi knew he was right; every time Yoshi tried to rejoin wrestling, he always backed out at the last minute with some half-baked excuse. But he knew that, if he was going to become a pro wrestler and make his parents proud, he had to take it seriously and go all the way.

"What if I PROVE to you that I'm serious?" Yoshi asked challengingly.  
"...What do you have in mind?" Kenji asked.  
"...I want you to put me to the test." Yoshi said. "Specifically, THE test; I want you, and the Animal Squadron, to put me through the Ten Beasts' Fury!"

"...Well, if that's what you want, then I'm sure we cou-..." Kenji began, but stopped as he let Yoshi's words sink in. "Wait… WHAT?!"  
"WHAT?!" Ryu yelled out in shock, accidentally launching a hamburger up.  
"WHAT?!" Chinatsu yelled in disbelief, spitting and coughing her drink out.

Kenji, Ryu, and Chinatsu were in absolute shock; Yoshi was dead serious this time. No one in their right mind would chose THAT to show how serious they are, JUST to join wrestling.

"Yoshi… y-y-you CAN NOT be serious!" Kenji said, hoping Yoshi was joking.  
"I AM serious. Put me through the Ten Beasts' Fury." Yoshi said, not backing down.  
"But… you'll be pulverized!" Chinatsu said, trying to reason with him.  
"I don't care." Yoshi retorted, still showing no signs of backing down.

"Um… what exactly IS the Ten Beasts' Fury?" Moe asked. "I've heard my friend Kai talk about it, but I don't know quite what it is exactly."  
"It's basically the 100 Holds test we were put through. Remember that?" Chinatsu stated.  
"Uh huh." Moe said, nodding her head.  
"Yoshi will be pitted against ten different wrestlers from the team. And each will perform ten different moves on him. So, that'll be 100 moves in total." Chinatsu explained. "And if he's able to stand at the end of it all, then he's in."  
"Interesting." Moe said. "But Ms. Sakura made it through the 100 Holds, as did I. So Mr. Yoshi should be fine."  
"This is the men's division, sweetie." Kenji pointed out. "It's a LOT tougher. And the members of the Animal Squadron are VERY tough. You know Hanzo?"  
"Juri's dating him, I believe." Moe answered. "You are dating him, right?" she asked Juri, who nodded her head yes.  
"Well, he's one of the elites of our team. Ichiro and I are as well. Same goes for Ryu over there." Kenji said, pointing back at Ryu, who was still grilling. "And the others? They make Rio look like a mere kitten playing with a ball of yarn."  
Sakura's eyes grew wide; she's seen how aggressive Rio is. So the idea of someone who makes her aggression seem like child's play was quite unsettling.

"So, with that said, you know there's no turning back, right?" Kenji asked Yoshi, wanting to be absolutely sure that Yoshi was serious.  
"I understand." Yoshi replied.

Kenji saw the fire in his eyes, and heard the passion in his voice, and he knew Yoshi was serious.  
Kenji smiled big, and behind him, Ryu smiled as well.  
"Well, congratulations Yoshi." he said. "That is EXACTLY what I want to hear from you. There's no mistaking that fire in your eyes or passion in your voice. As soon as we're done here, we'll put you through the Ten Beasts' Fury."  
Yoshi smiled big. "Thanks Kenji. I won't let you, or the Animal Squadron down."  
"Of that, I'm certain." Kenji said.  
"WAY TO GO, BUDDY!" Ryu called out. Yoshi smiled as his face became a little red.  
"I'm sure you'll do fine." Sakura said, hoping to calm his nerves.

Yoshi tried not to worry much about the test and resumed playing at the lake with the girls and getting to know Sakura and her friends a bit more. Soon, the food was done, and everyone rush over to Ryu to get some. Kenji sat down with Chinatsu, while Yoshi sat down with Sakura, and Ryu sat down with Misaki. From there, everyone was just eating and talking about various different topics.

But later that day, Yoshi suited up in his training attire and made his way to the gym.  
Kenji and Ryu already explained the situation to Katsu, and he was more than happy to oblige. He knew Yoshi wanted to wrestle again so badly, and saw this as a good kick-starter.

Soon, the doors to the gym opened, and standing in the doorway was Yoshi with a look of determination in his eyes.  
"Here I am Katsu." he said. "I'm ready."  
"Are you now?" Katsu asked as he took his trench-coat off, leaving him in a black, form-fitting tank-top.  
"Yes sir. I know what is expected of me."  
"I understand." Katsu said as Yoshi made his way into the ring. "This test has been handed down from coach to coach in our proud history. It was made to weed out the weak and unworthy. You will endure ten moves from ten wrestlers. If you can stand at the end of it all… you'll pass, and you'll have the right to be considered a member of the Animal Squadron." he explained. "So… with that said… are you ready?"  
Yoshi grinned and popped his knuckles. "Born ready."

Katsu grinned and chuckled slightly. And quick as a flash, Katsu charged at Yoshi, maneuvering behind him and looping his arms around his waist before lifting him over and slamming him down hard on his shoulders and back of his neck.  
"The German Suplex. A good way to start." Katsu said as Yoshi growled and picked himself off the floor.  
"Good choice, sir." Yoshi said as he got himself ready. Katsu then kicked Yoshi in the gut, making him bend over, where Katsu then looped his arms around his waist again, lifted him up, then slammed him down hard.  
"Power Bomb. Another good starting-point. That's two down." Katsu said before awaiting Yoshi to get up again.  
From that point, Katsu used eight other strong moves against Yoshi. And each time, Yoshi got up, ready for the next set.

"One set down. Excellent. Just nine more." Katsu stated.  
"Bring it on sir. I can take it." Yoshi said, his voice now possessing a noticeable growl.

From then on, each wrestler came up to Yoshi, each performing their ten different moves against him.

Next up was Yukimura, a young male about Yoshi's age and height, possessing spiky, dirty blonde hair and aqua-blue eyes, and tights that were aqua-blue on one side and white on the other, and with a shark design on each side that is the opposite color of the side it's on, and wearing aqua-blue boots with white toe-areas and trims.  
Yukimura's first move was a Tiger Bomb.  
"11!" Katsu counted.  
Yoshi growled as he got up, only or Yukimura to tackle him down hard with a Spear.  
"12!" Katsu counted again.

After Yukimura was done, the next wrestler came in, ready to perform his moves. One of those moves was the Gorilla Press.  
"24!" Katsu counted.

Set after set, and wrestler after wrestler, Yoshi had to endure brutal punishment from them all. And after each move, Yoshi still got up. However, it progressively got harder to stand, as the multiple moves were taking a big toll on him.

Soon, Yoshi was on his last set, and on move 98. The final wrestler was Ichiro.  
"Alright Yoshi! Just two more! You can do it!" Katsu yelled encouragingly.

"I must say; I'm impressed you've made it this far." Ichiro said.  
"You… doubt my endurance?" Yoshi asked tiredly.  
"No. Just… surprised is all. Not many make it to 75." Ichiro pointed out.  
"Yeah yeah yeah." Yoshi dismissed. "Just… get it over with."  
"Very well." Ichiro said as he trapped Yoshi in a headlock before flipping him down hard. Yoshi let out a loud yell upon impact.  
"99!" Katsu counted. "JUST ONE MORE!"

At this point, Yoshi was struggling hard to get up. But it hurt him so bad to even move. Nevertheless, he knew he couldn't quit now. He came this far, and victory was within arm's reach. He came so close, he could practically taste it. Summoning every ounce of willpower he could muster, he picked himself up, fighting through the pain that wracked his body.

"You ok?" Ichiro asked, concerned for his friend. "We can stop if you want."  
"No!" Yoshi protested. "AGAIN!"  
"Dude, you can barely stand!" Ichiro said, trying to reason with him. "You already proved your point."  
"I DON'T CARE!" Yoshi yelled, his voice exhausted and pained. "I've come this far, and I've only got one move to endure left. I intend to play this thing out… TO THE END! Now, AGAIN!" he commanded.  
Ichiro let out a long sigh. "It's your funeral..." he muttered as he charged at Yoshi, slamming him down with a powerful Suplex. Yoshi screamed out in massive pain, his body in more pain than he's ever been in up to this point.

"That's 100!" Katsu yelled excitedly. "All he has to do now is get up!"

But Yoshi couldn't move.

His body was in so much agony, he could barely breathe without pain shooting through his body.

"Come on, man. You can do it. Come on!" Ichiro said, hoping to encourage Yoshi.  
"You've come this far! Don't give up now!" Kenji called out.

In the back of his mind, Yoshi knew he couldn't give up. Not now. He knew Sakura went through something very similar. And he knew if she could do it, then he could too. Mustering every last bit of energy he could, he made an effort to stand up, trying his best to fight through the pain. And any time his pain tried to bring him down, he fought through it harder, gritting his teeth and bearing the pain. He turned himself so that he try to push himself up with his arms and knees, eventually getting on one knee and an arm. He then attempted to push himself up with his other arm, and he almost got up, but fell down again. But thankfully, he managed to save himself before falling down comepletely. He was super close now.

The tension in the air was thick as Yoshi struggled to get up. They knew he was close.

He pushed himself up once more, finally getting up on his feet as everyone else was on the edge of their seat.

"Come on..." Katsu thought.

And finally, after much struggle, Yoshi stood up straight on both feet, smiling triumphantly.  
"I… did it!" Yoshi cried out in victory, resulting in the team erupting into cheers for their newest member.  
"WAY TO GO BUDDY!" Kenji cheered.  
"I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!" Yukimura cried out with glee.  
"I never doubted you for an instant." Katsu said with pride in his voice.

"How do you feel, man?" Ichiro asked.  
"...Very tired and hurt." Yoshi replied half-jokingly. "I think I'm going to stop standing up now."

And with that said, he plopped down, first on his knees, then his face.

"Man down!" Ryu joked.  
"What do we do with him?" Yukimura asked.  
"Get some towels for him." Katsu replied. "One for a pillow, and one for a blanket. We'll let him rest up here, seeing that he's in no position to move."  
"Understood sir." Yukimura said as he left to get the towels. Meanwhile, Ichiro flipped Yoshi over so he would be more comfortable. And Ichiro had to stop himself from laughing, because Yoshi STILL had that triumphant grin on his face.

"He's a tough one, huh?" Ichiro asked.  
"He sure is." Katsu replied. "He's definitely his parents' child."  
"I'll bet." Ichiro said. "Also, do you want me to stay here with him until he wakes up?"  
"That would be nice." Katsu said.  
"Ok. I'll go get me some towels too." Ichiro said as he left the ring.

As for Yoshi, his body hurt so much, but he felt amazing inside. He had just completed a feat many have failed at, and few have tried. He had no idea how his fight against Luciana would go, but regardless, he could still walk away with his head held high, knowing he just achieved a near-impossible goal.

Yoshi was now looking forward to Saturday more so than ever before.  
 **  
*Finally got this one done! Sorry for the long delay. I've been real busy, and my schedule is crazy. I will TRY to do better next time.  
Until next time, let me know what you thought. Also let me know if you'd like to see more stories with Yoshi, Ichiro, and/or some of my other OCs for this series.  
Anyways, I'm Foxboy614, and I bid y'all sayonara. God bless, and stay safe.**


	5. Chapter 5: Before the Match

The day had finally arrived.  
The day of Yoshi and Luciana's big match.  
The day the two wrestlers finally settle their long-standing rivalry.  
Who will win? Who will lose? No one knows yet, but that question will be answered tonight.

 **"** **We are now one match away from the main event!"** the announcer said. **"Tonight, two wrestlers will settle a long-time rivalry that began way back in Mexico! Luciana, an ace of the Cutthroats, versus Yoshi, a young wrestler who's skills became known to Japan after a video of him facing off against Ayane, another ace of the Cutthroats, went viral!"**

In the locker room, Yoshi was getting himself dressed for the match. His attire was given to him by Ichiro and Sakura.  
He wore a red sleeveless top with an orange hawk-like mark on the front, red bands on his biceps, red sleeve-like covers on his forearms with yellow stripes on the end and yellow tassels, a red sash, white pants with a red stripe at the end of each leg and red tassels, and red boots with orange sections.

At the moment, Yoshi was trying to calm himself down. His heart was thundering against his chest, his hands were shaking, and he was sweating. But Yoshi was confused; he had fought in matches several times before, so why is he getting nervous now? Maybe it was because he has been out of the game for so long. He did not know, but he knew one thing; it was too late to turn back now.

"How's it going?" a female asked from behind. "Are you nervous about your big match?" Yoshi looked up and over behind him and saw Sakura. His eyes grew wide and he felt a lump form in his throat when he saw that she was clad in her wrestling attire. He had seen her in it when he saw her matches on TV, but seeing her in it first-person, it had a completely different effect on him.  
"...A little." he told her. But inside, he was a nervous wreck. "...Actually, big time." he corrected. "I don't know if I can do this. I mean… I haven't wrestled for so long, I've forgotten what it was like to be in the ring, having so many eyes on you, and… just the feeling of your insides practically doing gymnastics. Have you ever felt that way before?"  
"I'd be lying if I said no." Sakura admitted. "I felt the same way you are when I first become a pop-idol, then I felt it again when I became a wrestler. It's something that happens to all of us. So it's nothing to be ashamed of." she told him as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Yoshi suddenly tensed up and looked away at the sudden skin contact. Her hand was so soft and warm.

Sakura noticed his reaction. She wondered why he kept doing that. Over the days that lead up to tonight, any time she would get near him or touch him, he would lock up like he is doing now. She decided to get an answer to it.

"Why do you keep doing that?" she asked as she sat down with him, making him tense up more. "Why do you always become as stiff as a board whenever I'm near you or touch you?"  
"… It's just a thing of mine." Yoshi replied. "I do this any time when around girls. Especially pretty ones."  
"Well, you don't have to worry about me. You can trust me." Sakura told him.  
"Well… you see… it's not that I don't trust you. I mean, you seem like a good girl. But, I'm just still trying to get used to being around girls without locking up." Yoshi explained.  
"I understand." Sakura said.

"So, how's our new rising star doing?" another female voice asked. Both looked back and saw Rio, who was also in her wrestling attire.  
"He's a little nervous right now, Rio." Sakura said. Yoshi scoffed in a "that's an understatement" manner.  
"I'm sure he'll be fine." Rio said as she sat down with them. "I've come to learn to keep an open mind about newcomers. I've also come to learn that looks can be deceiving."  
"How so?" Yoshi asked with a chuckle. Rio buried her face in her palms, shaking her head.  
"I had no idea Moe was a black-belt karate champion." she said. Yoshi did a double-take.  
"Wait… what?" he asked.  
"That little brat took me down with one kick." Rio explained. "I didn't even see the kick coming, but the next thing I knew, Moe had one leg raised, and I was knocked out." At this point, Yoshi was covering his mouth, fighting the urge to laugh. "It's not funny!"  
"Yeah it is." Yoshi replied nonchalantly. Rio's face flushed red with embarrassment.

"...Now, uh… why are you in your wrestling attire?" Yoshi asked curiously.  
"We had a tag match not to long ago." Sakura replied. "We won, too. It was tough, but we managed."  
"I see." Yoshi said. "Congratulations." he added with a smile.  
"Thanks." Sakura said with a smile.

"So… anyways, I realized you never quite answered our question about Luciana." Rio pointed. Yoshi smacked his forehead.  
"Sorry ma'am. I completely forgot all about that." he said. "Luciana was a bully when I was growing up in Mexico. She's actually part of the reason I wanted to take up wrestling; I needed a way to protect myself and give myself a fighting chance. But I didn't know she would take up wrestling as well. Since then, we've been locked in a rivalry that has lasted for years. But thankfully, tonight we end that. Whether I win or lose, I aim to give it my all."  
"I see." Sakura said. "She must be really desperate to come all the way to Japan JUST to fight you."  
"She actually moved here a year before I did." Yoshi pointed out. "But I didn't know that until it was too late."

"Well… anyways… are you still nervous?" Rio asked.  
"Yeah." Yoshi replied.  
"Do you want one of us to accompany you out there?" Sakura asked. Yoshi chuckled.  
"This isn't pre-school." he said with a soft grin.  
"I know." Sakura pointed out. "I was just wondering in case it would help calm you down."  
"Oh. Well, if you want to." Yoshi replied with a blush.  
"Alright. Then I'll tag along." Sakura said as she pat Yoshi on the shoulder.  
"Uh... o-ok...T-T-Thank you." Yoshi stammered with a shy smile.

Neither one of the three heard the sound footsteps coming up and entering the room. "The match is almost done. Are you ready?" a male said. All three turned and saw Ichiro. Rio glared and look away, crossing her arms in the process. Ichiro rolled his eyes with an annoyed sigh. "Typical snow-head." Rio bolted up and was about to attack him, but Sakura and Yoshi were there to stop her.  
"You need to get yourself under control." Sakura snapped. Rio just glared at her for a few seconds before leaving with an annoyed sigh. Sakura buried her face in her palm. "I swear to my time..."

"So, how ya hanging?" Ichiro asked Yoshi.  
"...I'll live." Yoshi said. "Still nervous, but I've come this far, so I can't back out now."  
"That's what I want to hear." Ichiro said as he pat his friend on the back. "And just remember; we'll all be rooting for ya. The Animal Squadron, your family, even Berserk showed up."  
"Well, Sakura and Rio did have a match today." Yoshi pointed out.  
"I know that. But I'm talking about those that didn't even have matches, like Kurea and Chinatsu." Ichiro explained.  
"Oh, I see. Never mind then." Yoshi said. "Oh, I know I have to do good now. I have all those people out there supporting me." Ichiro gave a short laugh.  
"Good luck bud."

Now that Ichiro had left to rejoin the others in the audience, Yoshi and Sakura were the only ones left. Now Yoshi was nervous for a completely different reason.

 **"And now, time for the main event!"** the announcer said. **"Cutthroat vs. Animal. Strength and aggression vs. speed and agility! An epic battle of the sexes! Who will win?! We find out… NOW!"**

With wobbly knees and a racing heart, Yoshi stood up, ready to get the match over with. But as he went to walk out of the locker room and enter the arena, he paused. The tension was making his stomach feel queasy and sick. Yoshi started to take deep breaths. But then his breath hitched when he felt Sakura's hand grab a hold gently on his own.  
"Are you ready?" she asked him. Yoshi was silent for a while. But with a long, deep breath, he gently squeezed her hand, making her blush a bit.  
"I'm ready." he said, his tone now dead-serious and fiery. "Here we go."

 ***I hate to leave y'all hanging like this. But the next chapter will be the match itself, as well as the final chapter. I will still post more stories featuring Yoshi. He'll mainly be a side character, but I hope to flesh his character out a bit more in other stories.  
I've also had one reviewer say he, or she, wanted to see more romance between Sakura and Yoshi. Lucky for you, I had already intended for that.  
Anyways, let me k now what you thought, and I'll see y'all next time. God bless, and stay safe.**


	6. Chapter 6: The Battle Begins

" **At last! It's time for the main event of the night!"** the announcer yelled. **"Time for Yoshi and Luciana to duke it out in a fight to the finish! First up, the rising star himself; YOSHI HIRANO!"**

Yoshi stepped out with Sakura, hand-in-hand. Yoshi paused momentarily before walking down the ramp to the ring. The music that began to play for him had a rock/Latino feel to it.

 **"What's this? It looks like Sakura Hagiwara has decided to join him!"** the announcer yelled out in surprise. **  
**  
But on the way there, something awoke within Yoshi; one of the many reasons he joined wrestling in the first place. While his stomach overflowed with butterflies, and his knees wobbled a bit, his spine tingled, his heart thundered against his chest, and adrenaline coursed through his veins. The roar of the crowd and the thunder of applause was starting to get Yoshi pumped up for the fight as his nervousness began to dwindle. And knowing his family and friends were out in the audience watching him, he had to give it everything he had.

As he jumped up and down in place a few times, his face lit up like a firework. Sakura took notice of his sudden outburst of excitement and smiled, knowing he shed his nervousness. But then Yoshi took off down the ramp, yanking her along with him. Sakura gawked in surprise, but managed to match his pace fairly quick. When he had arrived at the ring, Sakura released his hand as Yoshi jumped up on the edge of the ring and jumped over the ropes. Yoshi walked to the center of the stage and held his arms close to his chest in an "X" manner. Then he unfolded them in a dramatic fashion, palms out, and rotated around once.  
"BRA-KAAAAAAAWWW!" he shouted with sheer, uncontainable excitement.

 **"It seems someone is ready to fight."** the announcer said. Soon, Yoshi went over to his corner to await Luciana.

Shortly afterwards, a different track of music played, possessing an intense and Latino feeling to it, fitting for Luciana.  
 **"And next up, the ace of the Cutthroats! Luciana Santiago!"** the announcer called out as Luciana stepped into the spotlight, receiving mixed cheers and jeers from the audience. Yoshi had heard she was infamous, and her reception tonight confirmed that.

Luciana was clad in a forest-green leotard with a golden-yellow design resembling a Mesoamerican serpent going around the suit, with the tail starting at the very bottom, wrapping around her mid-section, and having the head stop at the left side of her chest. She wore teal arm-coverings, similar to the ones Sakura wears, with golden-yellow serpent designs going downwards, ending in a stylized frill to resemble feathers. She wore knee-length, mid-heel boots that were golden-yellow and had teal serpent designs on the outer side, and teal knee-pads with a golden-yellow serpent head design in the center.

Luciana paid the crowd no mind as she made her way down the ramp and to the stage. Her mind was only on one thing; the fight itself. She still had that smug grin on her face; one Yoshi intended to knock clean off once the fight begins. She soon arrived and stepped inside the ring, turning to bow to the audience. _"At least she shows some level of respect."_ Yoshi thought. But once she was done, she locked eyes with Yoshi, and the two began a stare-down. Both were ready to get the fight started.

"I hope you're ready to lose." Luciana said.  
"Whether I win or lose is irrelevant. I just aim to give this fight my all." Yoshi told her. "Regardless, I won't go down so easily. If you want to win, you're gonna have to make it so that I can't even stand." A wicked grin streaked across Luciana's face.  
"Oh, I can DEFINITELY arrange that." she said before going to her corner. Yoshi went over to his corner as well, leaning against the turn-buckle and crossing his arms while folding one foot over the other.

 **"It seems both are ready to fight."** the announcer said. **"You can see it in their eyes. Well, let's not keep them from getting down to business!"**

 *** DING! ***

"HYAAAHHH!" Luciana yelled as she charged at Yoshi.  
"IKU ZE!" Yoshi yelled as he charged at Luciana.  
 **"And the fight is on!"** the announcer yelled excitedly.

Luciana swung first, but Yoshi was quick to dodge her attack and caught her arm, thowing her with a strong arm drag.

 **"And Yoshi comes out strong! What a great counter-attack!"**

"Not bad… but that's as good as you're gonna do." Luciana warned him.  
"Take your best shot!" Yoshi retorted as he stuck his hand out in a "come and get some" manner. Luciana took his taunt and got up, attempting to punch him in the face again, but he dodged it again and slipped behind her. From there, Yoshi wrapped his arms around her waist and arched his back, slamming her down with a German Suplex. Luciana quickly got up and growled at him. Yoshi smirked at her and leaned down. "Now… what were you saying earlier?" he asked tauntingly. But in letting his guard down, Luciana delivered a swift kick to his face, making him stagger back.

"...Yeah, I should've seen that coming." Yoshi admitted.  
"Yeah, you should have." Luciana replied in a "duh" manner. She then charged at him again. Yoshi got ready to dodge and counter her attack, but Luciana was anticipating that, and faked him out, ducking behind him and attacking with a German Suplex.  
 **  
"OH! An impressive tactic by Luciana!"**

Yoshi sat up and rubbed the back of his neck, growling lightly. But when he lifted his head up, Luciana delivered a swift kick to his face, knocking him back down. Luciana, wasting no time, looped her arms around his legs and turned him over on his stomach, trapping him in a Boston Crab.  
 **"OH! Luciana has Yoshi trapped in the infamous Boston Crab! Many newcomers have fallen because of this move!"  
** "LIKE SAKURA!" a heckler yelled out, followed by a cackle. Sakura went red-faced and looked towards the direction of the heckler.  
"YOU WON'T FIGHT ME!" she yelled at him.

"Oh, cool it, you ding-OOOOOWWW!" Yoshi tried to say, but when Luciana tightened the hold, the pain that shot through him, making him stop. _"_ _Ok man… concentrate. Focus on breaking out of this hold."_ Yoshi thought. But being in the middle of the ring left him in a bad position, especially given how hard it was to move when in the Boston Crab, as he saw from Sakura in her matches. But with the pain shooting through his body, he had to act quick.

But then, it hit him; a tactic he had seen Ichiro use once before to break out of this very same hold. With that in mind, Yoshi began to push himself up, growling in effort as he felt his body lift off the ground. Luciana noticed that he was trying to break free and throw her off, so she tried to sit back down hard, but Yoshi was surprisingly stout and held himself up well. With a final, loud shout, he threw Luciana off with his legs.

 **"Well, I'll be! Yoshi threw her off of him! What a spectacular move!"**

Yoshi sat up, rubbing his lower back and hips, growling. "Dang, I hate that move." he muttered. But before he got up, Luciana rushed behind him and locked her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, trapping him in a choke hold. "GYAK!" he yelled as Luciana choked him. He struggled to break free, but Luciana only tightened her grip.

 **"Luciana now has Yoshi trapped in a choke hold! Not a good place to be in for the newcomer! Especially since Luciana is an expert on those!"**

Yoshi felt the world growing darker. He had to break free, otherwise he would not be able to continue the fight. He could not lose now. But no matter how much he thrashed about, Luciana's grip remained like a vice. So, Yoshi decided to try one sure-fire trick. He gripped her arms tightly and pushed up, trying to wiggle his chin into the bend of her arm. While it was a tight hold, Yoshi managed and bit down as hard as he could into her arm, sinking his teeth into her skin and flesh. Luciana screamed in pain and loosened her grip, giving Yoshi the opportunity to break out easier. Once he had gotten free, he delivered a swift kick to Luciana's face.

 **"Unbelievable! He broke free!"**

Yoshi clutched at his throat, greedily gulping down air as light returned to the world for him. Luciana stood up, glaring and growling in anger out of anger and rage. "I've come too far to lose here to you, bird-brain. I'll break every bone in your freaking body if I have to. I WILL NOT LOSE!"  
"Oh, SHUT UP!" Yoshi yelled out in annoyance. "Do you ever get tired of hearing the sound of your own voice?" Luciana's left eye twitched in anger and she grit her teeth, charging at Yoshi with a strong punch. But Yoshi ducked down, dodging the attack, then attacking with a punch to her gut. When Luciana bowled over, Yoshi looped his arms around her and lifted her up before slamming her back down hard with a Powerbomb. Luciana found it hard to stand up after that; pain shot through her body and rendered her momentarily immobile. Yoshi crouched down and made a "get up" gesture with his arm. Luciana bolted up and threw a punch at him again, connecting this time. As he staggered back, Luciana grabbed him and threw him against the ropes, catching him on the rebound. She was going for a backbreaker, but Yoshi managed to wrap his legs around her neck, countering with a Hurricanrana.

 **"Such agility! I hope we'll get to see more of this newcomer in the future!"**

"Stupid bird-boy." Luciana growled.  
"I wouldn't mouth off if I were you; hawks EAT snakes." Yoshi growled back with a smirk.  
"Good luck with that. This snake bites back!" Luciana shouted as she charged at Yoshi at blinding speed, landing a few swift blows on him and knocking him back. Luciana grinned and grabbed his arm, throwing him against the ropes, catching him on the rebound and attacking with a backbreaker. With Yoshi still on her knee, she pushed down on his chin to further bend him, and having one hand holding his body in place.

 **"Yoshi started out strong, but it seems Luciana has turned the tables in her favor now!"**

Luciana continued to arch Yoshi and put him in pain before she pushed him back up onto his feet, only to loop her arms around his waist and arch her back, slamming him with a German Suplex. She held him in place, pinning him. The referee went in for the count.  
"1! 2! -"  
But Yoshi managed to kick out just in the nick of time. But Luciana was not about to let up on him just yet. Before Yoshi had the chance to get up, Luciana trapped him in another choke hold from behind him, locking her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Yoshi tried to bite her arm again like last time, but her grip was tighter this time, making it impossible. Yoshi strained to break free, but Luciana was too strong.

"Come on, Yoshi! You can do it!" Sakura encouraged.  
"You can't give up now! Find a way to break free!" Katsu yelled from the audience.

Yoshi struggled to get out, but Luciana continued to tighten her hold around his body and neck. The world around him started going dark. _"I want to give in and make this pain end, but I can't. There's too many people out there watching me, wanting me to succeed. I can't let them down. Not my family, not my friends, not the team, and definitely not Sakura."_ Yoshi thought. _"_ _How ironic; I tried to avoid wrestling because I didn't want to disappoint my friends and family… but now that I'm here, it's much worse. But I can't give up… not now… not EVER! I refuse to back down, and I won't quite until there's NOTHING LEFT IN ME!"_ A fierce fire burned within him, igniting his soul and body. He began to thrash around violently, doing whatever he could to make her hold loosen. Luciana tried her hardest to maintain her hold, but the thrashing was making it incredibly hard to. Eventually, Yoshi managed to get free enough to grab the ropes.  
"Rope break!" the referee called out. Luciana growled, but let him go and walked back, leaning against the turnbuckle. Yoshi got up, looking over at Luciana as air returned to his lungs and color returned to his vision. He was panting.

"I must admit; you're tougher than I thought you'd be." Luciana said. "I'm impressed."  
"I'm just getting started." Yoshi told her. "Up until now, I was going easy on you." Luciana smirked at him.  
 ** _(A/N: For those that have seen the anime, her smirk is like the one Rio had when Elena took her challenge.)  
_** "Are you sure about that, little birdie?" she asked.  
"You doubt me, but I'm done playing." Yoshi told her.

Luciana growled and ran towards him, attempting to throw a fierce punch. But Yoshi caught her punch, grinning at her tauntingly. "I don't think so." he told her as he reared his other fist back. "Now it's time to turn the tables!" he said as he punched her in the gut hard. Luciana gasped and bowled over, clutching her gut. Yoshi ran to the ropes and bounced off them, running back to her. He then grabbed her head and performed a spinning neckbreaker. While Luciana was still on the ground, Yoshi ran and jumped off the ropes, attacking with a lion-sault.

 **"It seems things are going back in Yoshi's favor!"**

Luciana rolled over to try and get back up, but Yoshi soccer-kicked her in the gut, forcing her on her back again. Then Yoshi trapped her legs in a figure 4 lock. Luciana yelped and yelled in pain as Yoshi tightened the hold.  
"Oh… JEEZ! This hurts!" Luciana screamed.  
"Well, duh! It's supposed to hurt!" Yoshi told her with a "you don't say" tone and as he tightened his hold again. Luciana yelled louder she clutched her head with one of her hands. But luckily for her, the ropes were nearby, However, not close enough for her to grab just yet. She knew she had to act fast, otherwise Yoshi would break her legs. She moved herself back as much as she could with her hands, trying to get to the ropes. Yoshi would tighten his hold on her to try and discourage her, but she toughed it out and continued on to the ropes. Eventually, she was within grabbing range and grabbed the ropes, forcing Yoshi to release his hold. Yoshi got up and went to the center of the ring, crossing his arms.

From that point on, Yoshi was on the evasive. Every hold Luciana tried to put him in, he would slip out and counter with an attack of his own, ranging from a simple punch or kick, to a suplex. His intention was to wear her out, leaving her tired and vulnerable to attacks. Not to mention, making her mad enough that she would make a mistake and slip up.

 **"This is incredible! Yoshi is practically dancing around the ring! And judging by Luciana's reaction, she is not happy about this."**

"That's it, Yoshi! You're doing good!" Sakura cheered. "She's tiring out! She won't last much longer, but don't let your guard down!" Luciana turned her attention towards Sakura, glaring intensely at her.  
"Oh, shut up, idol brat!" she snapped as she jumped out of the ring and punched Sakura in the gut and suplexed her. "It's bad enough I have to deal with Yoshi. Now I have to endure seeing YOU again?!" As she examined Sakura trying to get up, a devilish grin broke across her face. "I guess the best thing to do here is to run you off!" she said as she locked Sakura in a Boston Crab. As she applied the hold and tightened it, Sakura screamed in pain. Yoshi was getting furious.  
"HEY! LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS! THIS IS BETWEEN YOU AND ME!" Yoshi yelled. But Luciana looked up at him, her devilish grin returning as she tightened the hold more, arching Sakura's back unnaturally and making her scream louder. Yoshi gritted his teeth, growling in anger and hatred. His right eye began to twitch and his blood began to boil. It was bad enough she attack Sakura unprovoked once before, but now she is doing it again, JUST to spite him.

 **"Unbelievable! Luciana has turned her attention away from Yoshi and is now attacking Sakura! And needless to say, this is not sitting well with the audience! Especially not with Yoshi."**

Meanwhile, in the audience, Katsu and Ichiro took notice of Yoshi's reaction. "Oh no..." the muttered to themselves. Rio managed to hear them.  
"Why did you say 'uh oh'? Is this a normal thing?" she asked.  
"You haven't met Yoshi that long." Ichiro told her. "When he's mad, he can become aggressive. And when I say aggressive, I mean he gets almost FERAL. And when no one's there to stop him, he can get very dangerous."  
"Oh..." Rio said, but then it hit her; none of the Animal Squadron members were down there, and the referee did not know about this. "Oh." she said in realization.  
"And keep this in mind; when he's mad, he can become more frightening than I can. So let THAT sink in." Ichiro added.

As much as Rio hated to admit it, she knew he was right. She had seen Ichiro furious on several occasions before in the past. But while most get sloppy when mad, Ichiro seemed to actually get BETTER.

"So… what you're saying is..." Rio tried to say. "...Luciana just awakened a beast?"  
"Oh, yeah." Ichiro told her without hesitation. "And you're about to see what it's like." he added with a grin.

Yoshi, having had enough of watching Luciana just torment Sakura, decided to finally act and jump out. He rushed and delivered a fierce kick to the back of Luciana's head, knocking her off Sakura. Yoshi helped her up.  
"You ok?" he asked her. Sakura nodded her head.  
"I've had worse." she told him.  
"Well… I'd suggest you get to a safer area. Things are about to get REALLY ugly." Yoshi told her. Sakura was hesitant at first, but judging by his tone, he was serious. So she stood back several feet. Yoshi watched her go before he turned back to Luciana, his eyes burning like a fire. Luciana took notice and continued to grin.  
"Aww… did I hurt your girlfriend?" she mockingly asked him. "You know, I knew you weren't all that bright, but THIS! Hoo! And here I was starting to think you were wising up." But Yoshi said nothing; he just continued walking over to her. Luciana, while she didn't show it, was scared out of her wits. She knew Yoshi was mad, and he was going to be far more ruthless and aggressive. "Come on, why waste your time with that pathetic banshee? Go for a REAL woman."

That did it for Yoshi. He had enough, and snapped.

Before Luciana had time to think, Yoshi had bolted over and had her throat in a vice grip. Luciana could not even budge her way out. "You listen to me RIGHT now." he told her in a dark, threatening tone. "Sakura is more of a woman, AND a wrestler then you'll EVER be! She fights for others, while you only fight for yourself! Attacking her once bad enough, then it was worse the second time, but the fact you'll put OUR match on hold JUST to viciously attack her! A THIRD TIME! That crosses the line!"  
"Oh, don't tell me… you've got FEELINGS for her." Luciana said, her voice strained from Yoshi choking her.  
"I do." Yoshi replied, his tone and facial expression dead serious. Sakura was shocked to hear that he had feelings for her. "And you hurt her. For that, you will pay dearly."

And without another word, Yoshi lifted Luciana up and slammed her down hard with a choke slam. As Luciana struggled to get air, Yoshi grabbed her leg and rolled her over, locking her in a single-leg Boston Crab. Luciana screamed loudly as Yoshi arched her tight and hard. Yoshi made sure that he did not let up on her in the slightest bit.

 **"It seems that the wrestlers have taken this outside the ring! And judging by Yoshi's reaction, things could get real ugly real quick!"**

Luciana tried her best to shake him off, but to no avail. He continued to arch her and tighten his hold on her more. Things were looking bad for her; she was outside the ring, and had no way to grab the ropes. Yoshi let her go and stood up. Luciana thought she was safe, but Yoshi lifted her up and threw her against the side of the turnbuckle. Yoshi then caught her on the rebound and slammed her with a German suplex. Yoshi picked her up again and threw her back in the ring.

 **"And Yoshi decides to take this back inside the ring!"**

Yoshi jumped up and inside the ring, ready to begin another vicious assault. The instant she got up, Yoshi ran over and performed a Hurricanrana, throwing her a short distance. Luciana was fairly quick to get up, but Yoshi looped his arm around her neck, bringing her down with a hard DDT. He pulled her to the middle of the ring and rolled her on her back. Yoshi jumped over her and ran to the ropes, lionsaulting off the middle rope onto her. Yoshi sat up for a while before laying back on her, lifting her leg up and pinning her.  
"1! 2! -"

But Luciana managed to knock him off her. Yoshi growled in anger and punched the ground. Luciana struggled to get up. She was panting.  
"I see… I've struck a nerve with you, huh?" she asked tiredly.  
"You have no idea." Yoshi told her.

Without another word, the two engaged in another brawl. While Luciana had a strength advantage, and had done a lot of damage to Yoshi. Yoshi had worn her down quite a bit, and had more stamina.

 **"It seems we've gone from a wrestling match to a brawl! Regardless, this is amazing!"**

After the fight, the two were panting and staring each other down. Their fight had gone on for about twelve minutes, and it had taken quite a bit out of them. They were currently trying to recover a bit of energy before they resumed fighting.  
"You're… not so bad… huh?" Luciana asked.  
"No… I guess not." Yoshi said. "But I think it's time to end this fight."  
"I agree." Luciana said, charging at Yoshi at full speed. Yoshi grinned and waited for the right time. When she was within range, and about to throw a punch at him, Yoshi dodged her punch and tripped her, making her land on the ropes. _"Now's my chance."_ Yoshi thought. He then ran to the opposite side of the ring, rebounding off the ropes and running back to Luciana. He grabbed the top and middle ropes, and used them to swing back and kick Luciana away from the ropes. He then waited outside the ring, waiting for her to stand up so he could finish it. Luciana stood up slowly, the pain and wear racking her body left her weakened.  
 _  
"I cannot let this runt defeat me. I've come this far, and I've spent a long time and several years getting where I am now. And there's NO WAY I'm going to let this bird-brain ruin it all!"_ Luciana thought angrily. But the instant she turned around, it was too late; Yoshi had jumped off the rope, launching himself at her, then wrapped his legs around her neck before flipping himself and Luciana with a strong Frankensteiner. Yoshi then looped his arms around her legs, pinning her hard.  
 _"This is it..."_ Yoshi thought excitedly.  
"1! 2! And 3!"

The audience roared with applause as Yoshi released Luciana, slowly getting up to his feet and leaning against the ropes, holding a fist up in victory.

 **"And the winner, by pin-fall, is Yoshi Hirano! Folks, I think we just witnessed a wonderful display of wrestling prowess from both fighters! But in the end, Yoshi defied the odds and got the win!"**

"Way to go, man!" Ichiro cheered.  
"I knew you could do it!" Kenji yelled out.  
"I never doubted you for a second." Katsu said with a proud smile.  
"If that's your idea of 'not being good enough', I'd sure love to see what you're like when you ARE good enough." Rio yelled with an amused grin.

Meanwhile, Sakura was jumping up and down, cheering. "Way to go, Yoshi!" she yelled as she jumped into the ring to congratulate Yoshi personally. "That was awesome! Much better than my debut match, let me tell you." Yoshi grinned.  
"Yeah, I kinda figured..." he admitted. Sakura playfully punched him in the arm. But Yoshi retracted his arm, clutching his arm a bit and wincing.  
"Oops… sorry." Sakura sheepishly apologized.  
"It's ok… I deserved it." Yoshi said.

But neither of them noticed Luciana standing back up, or her walking up to them. But Luciana tapped Yoshi on the shoulder, making him turn around to see a glaring Luciana staring him down. Yoshi was a bit worried about what she was going to do to him. But Yoshi was even more surprised to see her stick her hand out to him with a small grin. Yoshi was unsure of what to do, but since he did not want to leave her hanging, he shook her hand.  
"Well… looks like I misjudged you." Luciana admitted. "You're a lot better than I thought. With that said and done, I'll keep my word, and I'll never attack you again."  
"And I'd suggest you do the same with Sakura… AND apologize for assaulting her." Yoshi told her as he crossed his arms.  
"...Fair enough." Luciana admitted. She then turned her attention to Sakura. "Miss Sakura… I'm sorry for assaulting you… three times. And for considering you a joke. After witnessing Yoshi's prowess, I see that I was wrong for doubting him as well as you. And from here on out, I'll never attack you again. And the same will apply to Ayane and Gracia." Sakura looked her dead in the eyes to make sure she was not lying. And seeing that Luciana had not broken eye contact, Sakura could tell she was telling the truth. She smiled and shook Luciana's hand.  
"I forgive you. But you'll also have to apologize to the rest of Berserk as well." she told her.  
"Will do." Luciana said. She turned her attention back to Yoshi. "And Yoshi? Keep it up. I look forward to seeing how far you'll go." Yoshi smiled.  
"Thanks. You too." Yoshi said. And with that, Luciana turned and left the stage.

To say Yoshi was ecstatic would be putting it lightly. He felt like he was on top of the world. That he had accomplished one of the most impossible tasks in the world. He felt bulletproof. And this fight was a message to the whole of Japan, and to himself; this hawk has finally took flight, and was not going to stop any time soon. No longer would he be weighed down by his fears and insecurities. No longer would he fear stepping inside the ring. And no longer would he be afraid to let his family and friends down.

But in accomplishing one nigh-impossible task, there was still one more he knew he had to accomplish next…

Asking Sakura out on a date.  
But that was a task for another day.

 **The End!  
How was it? Did I do good? I hope you enjoyed this story. I had fun writing it, and I'm glad to finally get this out of the way.  
Now, while the main story is finished, I will still add ONE more chapter to this story. One reviewer wanted to see Sakura and Yoshi go on at least one date. I see no reason why I can't do that. I'll get on it as soon as I can.  
So until then, I'm Foxboy614, and I bid you all sayonara. God bless, and stay safe!**


	7. Epilogue: The First Date

**As I said before, the main story is finished. I'm adding this chapter due to a request made to me by a reviewer. He, or she, wanted to see Sakura and Yoshi go on at least one date before I ended the story. I did intend to do a romance between the two, so you're in luck.**

It has been a week since Yoshi's big match. Sakura was sitting on a bench in the park, enjoying the crisp and cool morning air and eating a peach. Since it was Saturday, the Berserk gym was closed, giving the girls the weekend off. Sakura decided she was going to take advantage of that and enjoy herself. But as she ate her peach, she began to think about Yoshi.

Since the first day she met him, Sakura has felt an attraction to Yoshi. And when she learned that he had an attraction to HER, she felt she had a sure-fire chance to form a relationship with him. While he seemed flip-flopy and full of self-doubt at first, the match he had against Luciana seemed to have changed him in a big, positive way. To go along with that, Sakura saw that Yoshi was a kind and polite, if goofy, young man. Not to mention, she found him quite handsome. His tanned skin, brown eyes, soft brown hair, and even his scars were very attractive features in her eyes. And while Yoshi wanted to get to know more about her, SHE wanted to get to know more about HIM.

"I can see that you're nice and relaxed, huh?" a female voice asked. Sakura looked up and saw Rio walking up. After seeing her in the standard Berserk clothes and wrestling/training attire, it was so strange to Sakura to see Rio in casual clothes. In this case, Rio wore a purple t-shirt, black loose-fitting pants, and purple shoes. Along with her, Chinatsu and Elena walked up as well. Chinatsu wore an orange tank-top, black skinny-jeans, and black shoes. Meanwhile, Elena wore a navy-blue shirt under an unzipped green jacket, short jean shorts, and blue shoes with white socks.  
"You could say that." Sakura replied.  
"I don't blame you. It's a beautiful morning." Elena said as she sat next to her friend.  
"I second that." Rio said as she sat on the other side of Sakura. But Chinatsu had to sit over on another nearby bench, since there was no open spot left for her.

"So, any plans for you girls?" Sakura asked.  
"I'm probably going to the beach to swim." Rio said.  
"Me and Kenji are going out on a date tonight." Chinatsu said with a smile and blushing cheeks. "We're going to have dinner at a nice restaurant, and we're going to see a movie."  
"As for me, Juri and Hanzo apparently set me up with one of the members of the Animal Squadron." Elena said.  
"Really? Which one?" Rio asked, leaning forward to see past Sakura. "It's not Ichiro, is it?" she questioned. The girls all looked at her in shock and confusion. Rio quickly changed her tune. "N-N-Not that I care, or anything."  
"Actually, it's Yukimura." Elena said. "He looks really cute, and seems like a nice guy. We're going to the movies, and, if there's time, he's going to show me how to surf."  
"Sweet!" Sakura said. "That sounds like one heck of a first date, huh?"  
"You bet it does." Elena replied.

Hearing all the girls' plans for today made Sakura realize how boring her day would be in comparison. She had no major plans tonight. She was hoping Yoshi would have asked her out or something. Though, she would give him some slack, given how nervous he is around her.

"Uh… hey Rio? Would you mind if I joined you at the beach? I don't have any plans for today, to be honest." Sakura asked. Rio looked at her and smiled lightly.  
"I don't see why not. Just get the stuff, and we'll head over to the beach." she told Sakura.  
"Ok. Thank you. What time do you plan to go?" Sakura asked.  
"First, you're welcome. Second, probably about 11:30." Rio replied.  
"Sounds like a plan to me." Sakura said with a smile.

At 11:30, Sakura and Rio headed to down to the beach for fun, sun, and relaxation. They were wearing their bikinis that they wore at the lake under their clothes. Sakura wore a white tank-top with pink floral designs, white short-shorts, and wedge-heel shoes with red leather straps. Rio wore a purple sundress that reached mid-thigh and black sandals. Once they arrived at the beach, the two wrestlers laid their towels down, set their umbrellas up, then removed their clothes, leaving them in their bikinis. They first decided to rest before swimming.

"So, what have you been doing with yourself recently?" Rio asked as she applied sunscreen to her arms and belly before starting on her face.  
"Oh, not much. I've just been thinking about stuff." Sakura replied, applying sunscreen to her arms, face, and belly.  
"Oh, like what?" Rio asked, starting on her legs.  
"Oh, you know… just… stuff." Sakura replied, trying to hide her blush. But Rio saw it and smirked.  
"You're thinking about Yoshi, aren't you?" she asked, still smirking as she crossed her legs. Sakura blushed even deeper.  
"Ok, yes I am." she admitted. "I just can't help it."  
"I don't blame you. He seems like a good boy. Handsome too." Rio said. "And given how polite he is, I bet he'll be a keeper."  
"I sure hope so." Sakura said.

Once they were done talking about Yoshi, they each helped the other put sunscreen on the others back. And once that was done, the two just laid down on their towels and enjoyed the warm beach air, the cool breeze, and listening to the sound of the waves.

But then, at some point, not long after they started to relax, Sakura and Rio heard someone yelling in pain, then yelling out in Spanish. The girls were just laughing their heads off hearing him. But then something hit them; they have only met a small handful of people that speak Spanish in Japan. And since it was a male's voice, that narrowed it down to only one person.

And when Sakura leaned up to see who it was, she was correct; it was Yoshi. He was clutching his foot and jumping up and down on one leg. And he seemed to be yelling at a crab at one point. Apparently, he must have got pinched.

Sakura whistled to get his attention. Yoshi heard the whistle and shot around. But then his face grew bright red. He noticed Sakura wearing the same bikini she wore when she was swimming at the lake at his village. He accidentally allowed himself to take proper notice of her alluring curves and athletic, yet feminine, body. And she had some amazing legs. "Hey Yoshi! What's up?" Sakura asked. But Yoshi could not respond just yet. Sakura giggled and walked up to him. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" she asked with a giggle.  
"No, but I think you will in a few months." Rio joked, making Sakura blush and Yoshi blush harder.  
"You're not helping, snow-head!" Yoshi yelled out. Rio snapped her head over to look at him.  
"Hey! I'll take that from Ichiro, but not you!" she told him.  
"Why? I thought you hated him." Yoshi questioned.  
"Wha-? I-!" Rio stammered. Yoshi and Sakura chuckled at her reaction.

"So, what's up?" Sakura asked, returning her attention to Yoshi.  
"Eh, I was just here at the beach, wanting to have some fun and look for seashells." Yoshi told her. "And you?"  
"Rio and I came here for some relaxation, then we were going to go swimming." Sakura explained.  
"That sounds fun." Yoshi said. "...Also, since I'm already here… and I had originally planned it for later… I-I-I was wondering if you'd..." he began to stammer as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.  
"Yes?" Sakura beckoned.  
"I… I was wondering if… if you'd like to join me for dinner tonight?" Yoshi finally said, feeling a load being lifted off his chest.

Sakura felt her heart begin to flutter. Yoshi just asked her out on a date!

"That sounds nice. And I don't have any plans for tonight, so it works out perfectly." she replied. "Where would we be going?" she then asked.  
"Well… I was actually thinking my place." Yoshi admitted.  
"Oooohh." Rio joked. Yoshi glared at her.  
"You see, it's my turn to cook dinner tonight, and I'm making chili, but the guys are all going out tonight. Kenji has a date with Chinatsu. And Yukimura has one with Elena. I thought Ichiro would be home tonight, but apparently he has… other plans." Yoshi explained. "All he told me was he was meeting with someone to discuss some business."  
"It could be he has a date too, but is too nervous to tell you." Sakura said. Rio turned her head away, her cheeks flushing bright pink.  
"Well, I'm going swimming now. I'll see you in a bit." Rio said as he got up and left for the water. Both Sakura and Yoshi watched her leave. Sakura grinned a little bit. She was starting to think that Rio actually has a crush on Ichiro, but won't admit it. And given that she left for the water RIGHT AFTER Yoshi mentioned Ichiro had other plans makes her wonder if there's a connection.

"So, anyways, what time should I show up?" Sakura asked.  
"Around 7:30." Yoshi told her. "I'd get you myself, but I have to stay home and make sure the chili doesn't get burnt, or burn the house down."  
"Understandable." Sakura said in agreement.  
"However, Kenji's younger brother, Kai, can direct you to my house. He doesn't live with us, but I can give him a call and tell him to meet you over by the bus stop." Yoshi stated.  
"Kai? It wouldn't happen to be the same Kai that Moe has told us about, is it?" Sakura asked. She has heard Moe talk of Kai, and heard her bring his name up back at the lake.  
"I'm pretty dang sure he is." Yoshi said, crossing his arms. "I mean, he talks to us about a girl named Moe. So I'm positive it's him."  
"I think so too." Sakura agreed.

"So, 7:30?" Sakura asked, wanting to make sure.  
"Yes ma'am." Yoshi replied. "You can dress casual if you want."  
"Ok. Can do." Sakura said. Yoshi smiled warmly until he felt a sharp pain on the back of his foot. He yelled out in pain and started shouting in Spanish once more. Sakura started laughing at his current situation. He was clutching the back of his foot as he looked down and saw a crab. Sakura guessed it was the same crab from earlier.  
"I swear to my time." Yoshi muttered angrily. "You may think you're tough now, but let's see how tough you are when you're steamed and served with a side of melted butter." he said to the crab, making Sakura laugh harder at the fact he was getting mad at a crab. "I better go. I don't want to get pinched again. See ya tonight." he told Sakura before leaving.  
"Bye! Don't let the crabs get ya." Sakura called out with a snicker. Yoshi paused for a few seconds before saying something in Spanish.

 *** Later that night ***

Sakura was getting herself ready for her date with Yoshi. She had decided to go with a pink t-shirt with a red heart in the center, short jean shorts, and red shoes with white socks. She then started to brush her hair, making it look nice and getting tangles out. When she was done with those things, Sakura looked over at a stick of lip-gloss. _"Maybe someday I'll use you for when I go on a date."_ she thought. Once she was ready, she set out for the bus stop.

 *** Time-skip ***

Upon arriving at the bus-stop at Yoshi's village, there was a young boy, maybe about a year younger than she was, was sitting on a bench. He had short, spiky brown hair and amber eyes, a teal shirt with a monkey on the front, black pants that looked a little too long for him, and teal shoes. He was slender, yet fairly toned. He also had a few scratches on his left cheek. "Hello there ma'am." he greeted. "You must be Sakura."  
"I am." Sakura replied. "And I take it you're Kai?"  
"That I am." Kai replied. "Yoshi told me to meet you here."  
"I heard him tell me to look for you." Sakura stated.  
"Well, let's get a move on. You must be hungry." Kai said as he headed towards the village, with Sakura following shortly behind him.

After a while, they finally arrived at Yoshi's house. It was a wide, two-story house. It had beige walls and a green roof. It had a wide front yard, and while she did not see it yet, the back yard was wider. Sakura was impressed with the house that Yoshi, Ichiro, Kenji, and Yukimura owned.

But she was a bit more hesitant to enter through the front gate. On the front porch was a big wolf. It had light gray fur, but its back, the top half of its face, and the top half of its tail were black. It also had ice-blue eyes. When it saw Kai and Sakura, it casually walked up to the gate. Sakura whimpered and hid behind Kai. But then she was surprised when she saw Kai petting the wolf, and the wolf sitting there taking it with a smile. Sakura lightened up when she saw it.

"It's ok. You don't have to be scared of Kirin." Kai told Sakura. "He may be big and intimidating, but he's a big puppy… unless you're a robber, than you're dead." he added. Sakura decided to go and pet Kirin, still hesitant. But when Kirin started to pant happily with his tongue hanging out, Sakura softened up completely and even scratched behind his ears.  
"He's so handsome." Sakura commented. "And honestly… kind of cute, actually."  
"Heh. Yeah he is." Kai said in agreement. "But anyhow, this is where Yoshi lives. Have fun on your date." he said as he headed for home.  
"Bye! And can do!" Sakura called out to him.

When she was done petting Kirin, Sakura opened the gate and stepped inside the front yard. She walked up he porch steps and knocked on the door. She then waited for Yoshi to answer the door.  
No response.  
She knocked again, louder this time.  
Still no response.  
Sakura was getting a little impatient by this point. But surely he did not decide to stand her up. _"What happened? Where could he be?"_ she wondered.

But as she stood on the porch, trying to think of what could have happened, she heard guitar music coming from the back yard. She would not have guessed that Yoshi could play the guitar. Then again, she never asked. She decided to go around back and over the extra fence separating the front from the back yard. And that's when she saw here was more land in the back than in the front. On one side, there was a small pond that had several small koi, and a tree shading the pond. And on the other side was a pavilion that had a picnic table in the middle and a fireplace on the far end. On the table was a medium sized pot, most likely holding the chili. And sitting at about the center of the table was Yoshi, strumming on a guitar. The music he was playing sounded very calm and relaxing.

When he was done, Sakura gave him a short applause. Yoshi looked up and saw Sakura. "D'oh!" he yelped. Sakura giggled at his reddening face and startled reaction. "That's not funny, chica!"  
"Hehe. Yeah it is." Sakura replied. Yoshi lightly growled. "Anyways, I tried knocking earlier, but you must have not heard me. But I see you were outside."  
"Yeah, sorry about that." Yoshi said. "I felt like eating outside, since it was so warm out."  
"I don't blame you. It's beautiful out here tonight." Sakura said in agreement. "Also, can I go and wash my hands? I just got done petting Kirin, and I want to wash my hands before eating."  
"You don't have to ask, you know." Yoshi said with a grin. "The chili will still be good and warm when you come back."  
"Ok. Thank you." Sakura said before going inside to wash her hands.

Once she came back, the two took their seats and poured some chili into their bowls. Sakura was sure that if it tasted as good as it smelled, then she would have to get the recipe from him. And when she finally at some, she KNEW she had to get the recipe. True, it was spicy, but it was so delicious. "This is really good." Sakura commented.  
"Thank you." Yoshi said with a smile. "It's not too spicy, is it?"  
"Nah. I've had worse." Sakura said.

The two continued to eat their chili in relative silence. Yoshi and Sakura decided to save learning about the other until after they are done eating.

Once they were done, Yoshi took their bowls inside before coming back for the pot. When he was done, he returned to the table to begin talking to Sakura and getting to know more about her.

"So, tell me a bit about yourself." Sakura said, leaning forward.  
"Well… I grew up in Mexico for sixteen years, but we had to move to Japan, because things were getting dangerous in my old hometown. So, me, my family, and several other members of my old hometown moved here to Japan and settled down in the village you're in now." Yoshi said. "My mom was from Mexico, while my dad was from Japan. He had moved to Mexico a while after he had met my mom when he came here on a trip. In time, they fell in love, got married, and had me and my sisters. But then, as I said, life there got too dangerous, so we moved here to Japan."  
"Interesting." Sakura commented. "And you said both parents were wrestlers?" she questioned.  
"Yes ma'am, they were." Yoshi replied.  
"That must explain your skills." Sakura said. Yoshi blushed.  
"You could say that." he said. "My sisters are pretty good too. Selena especially. She favors strength over speed though, and she goes with a jaguar motif."  
"Cool." Sakura said. "I hope to meet her some day."  
"I think you'd like her." Yoshi said.

"So, what about you?" Yoshi questioned.  
"Well, I was born and raised in Japan." Sakura began. "I started with Sweet Diva about when I was maybe fifteen or sixteen. But I joined wrestling after I took part in a special gig for our group. That's also how I met Rio. But then Elena was attacked by Rio, so I had to avenge her. Needless to say, I lost… horribly. And I continued to lose horribly fifty more times." she said.  
"That has to suck." Yoshi commented.  
"You have no idea." Sakura said. "It got so bad that I was about to quit. I mean, I had lost just about every fan I had, save for ONE, I had become the laughing stock among wrestlers, I disgraced Berserk's name, and I let Elena down. I had nothing I could go back to." Yoshi could tell these memories still haunted her, given how her face and voice gave off a sad, depressing vibe. "I probably WOULD have quit had Misaki not gotten to me. She helped me to understand wrestling is serious business, and if I was going to survive, I had to get tougher. So I stuck around, and in the end, I learned what pro wrestling is all about, I regained my fans and my honor, me and Elena are friends again, and I have both Berserk AND Sweet Diva." Sakura said, now happy once again. She actually seemed happier.  
"That's amazing!" Yoshi commented. "I can see why you have such a huge following."  
"Thank you." Sakura said with a blush.

"So… what are you like as a person?" Sakura asked.  
"...Uh… well, I'm nervous around girls… as you know by now. Hehe." Yoshi said, scratching the back of his head nervously. "And I can be a goofy guy when you get to know me. And I can also be very polite, as I almost always call people 'sir' or 'ma'am', even if I'm reminded I can call them by their normal name… sometimes several times. And when my friends are in trouble, I will do what I can to protect them, as you saw last week."  
"Yeah, you got pretty berserk." Sakura said, followed by a short laugh. "But… I have to ask… why did when Luciana called you an 'autistic retard' you get so furious?" she then asked. Yoshi went from a warm smile to a dead-serious, stoic expression.  
"Well… let's just say I'm… wired differently from other people." Yoshi said.  
"...Does that mean you have it?" Sakura asked.  
"Well… a type of it. It's called Asperger's Syndrome. It's a bit difficult for me to explain properly." Yoshi told her.  
"I see. Is it hard? Living with that?" Sakura asked.  
"No, not really. I pretty much feel the same as any other normal human." Yoshi told her. "I'm just more awkward socially and, in some cases, mentally."  
"Interesting." Sakura said. She would not have guess that he had that.

"Now, what about YOU?" Yoshi asked.  
"Well, since you know why I joined wrestling, that should tell you I care about my friends and Sweet Diva. And after my sparring session with Misaki, I refuse to back down so easily. And once I set my mind to a goal, I won't stop until I've reached it." Sakura said. "I can also be quite stubborn."  
"I'll bet." Yoshi said.

Sakura was having a lot of fun just talking to him. He did not seem so full of himself, he gave her a chance to speak and talk about herself and her experiences, and he listened to her. Not to mention, he maintained contact with her eyes, and not her chest. She loves when guys are like that. Rio was right; he did look to be a keeper.  
But there was still one thing in the back of her mind that she needed an answer to.

"Now, I just have one more question for you." Sakura said.  
"Alright. What is it?" Yoshi asked.  
"...Did you mean what you told Luciana? About you having feelings for me?" Sakura asked. Yoshi felt his whole body ignite. How could she have heard him?

 _"Oh, crap. I wasn't expecting this! What do I tell her? If I say yes, she may think I'm going too fast. But if I say no, I may hurt her feelings, AND I'd be a liar!"_ Yoshi frantically thought. _"Still, I was raised to tell the truth. So I have to be honest with her."_

Yoshi let out a long sigh before speaking. "I would be lying if I said no." he told her. "Yes, I do. When I first saw you on TV, I'll admit I didn't have any feelings for you AT FIRST. But then, over time, I started to respect and admire you. And, yes, I eventually formed a crush on you. I love how you care about your friends. I love how you were willing to tough it out til the very end. And… yeah… I think you're very beautiful." he blushed hard at that last statement. "And… I think you're an amazing person. So to summarize; yes, I do have feelings for you, and… if you'd let me… I would like to..." he paused.  
"Yes?" Sakura beckoned, giving him a hand gesture to continue.  
"...I would like to… date you again some time." Yoshi finally said, feeling a burden being lifted off his shoulders.

Sakura was left silent for a while. But inside, she was practically squealing with joy. She felt like a school girl who just learned that the cute boy she has a crush on likes her back. "So… what you're saying is… you'd want me to be your girlfriend?" she asked once she recovered from her initial shock.  
"W-W-Well… that is… if you WANT to." Yoshi told her.  
"That hinges on one thing." Sakura told him. "Would you be willing to be my boyfriend?"  
 _"Say yes, you idiot!"_ Yoshi thought. He cleared his throat. "Yes ma'am. I'll do my very best. And don't worry about me cheating on you; I have a hard time talking to other girls." Sakura giggled.  
"But you've managed to talk to me normally a few times." she pointed out.  
"I've grown to trust you." Yoshi admitted. Sakura smiled and stood up from her seat. She walked around to the other side of the table. She stood before Yoshi, beckoning him to stand up. Yoshi was confused, but he did as instructed. But what happened next caught him off-guard.

Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him softly. Yoshi was rendered almost completely catatonic. He was NOT expecting to get a hug on the first date. "You know, you can hug me back. If you're going to be my boyfriend, you'll have to get used to making physical contact with me, like hugging, holding hands, and later, if we're still together, kissing." The last thing made Yoshi burn up again.  
"Y-Y-Yes ma'am." Yoshi said. He hesitantly hugged her back, wrapping his arms around her waist and bringing her close. Both blushed at this. Sakura felt that she was going to enjoy his hugs; they felt so soft and warm. And Yoshi's thoughts were similar to hers. The two stayed like that for who-knows-how-long before they finally broke away, smiling warmly at each other.

"Well, I guess I better get back home." Sakura said. Yet she wished she could stay a little longer.  
"Ok." Yoshi said, feeling the same way. "Do you need me to walk you back to the bus stop?"  
"That would be nice." Sakura told him. Yoshi smiled, and the two left the backyard and headed for the bus stop. While they walked, Yoshi felt Sakura grab his hand in hers, threading her fingers through his. Yoshi blushed at the sudden feeling of her hand holding his. But it was so soft and warm. He soon found himself giving her hand a gentle squeeze, making her blush.

Soon, they arrived at the bus stop. And just in time too; the buss was just about to pull up.

"Ok, here's some money for ya." Yoshi said, giving her a few coins. "That should make up for the trip up here, and cover the trip back."  
"Thanks, but you didn't have to do that." Sakura told him, touched by his offer.  
"Eh, it's the least I could do." Yoshi told her. "Oh, and HERE is my number, should you ever decide to call me." he said, giving her a folded-up piece of paper with his phone number on it. Sakura smiled and leaned forward, pecking him softly on the cheek. Yoshi's face became as red as a chili pepper, his eyes grew wide, and his mouth was left agape. Sakura giggled and hopped inside the bus, paying the toll.  
"Bye Yoshi! See you around!" Sakura called out to him before the bus door closed. And almost immediately afterwards, the bus left the village and headed back for the city.

Even after she had left, Yoshi was still rendered motionless. Sakura just kissed him! True, it was a peck on the cheek, but still!

Yoshi lifted a hand up to feel where she had kissed him, his fingers lightly grazing the spot. It still felt warm. A small smile slowly crept on to his face as he dropped down onto the bench, sighing happily. "My first date..." he said softly to himself. "A truly momentous occasion for anyone..." Yoshi was scared that he would end up blowing it and make Sakura not want to see him again. But in the end, he got by it, and ended up having a lot of fun. Yoshi could not wait to go on another date with her soon. But now he had to get back home. So he jumped up from his spot on the bench and ran home, feeling as though he was walking on air.

This was going to be very interesting.

 **The End!  
* Finally finished! I hope you enjoyed reading it, because I had fun writing it. Let me know if you'd like to see more with Sakura and Yoshi in the future. I'm going to try one for Ichiro and Rio another time, but I'll have to figure out how I'll do it. Anyhow, now that this story is finished, I can get back to working on my _Finding Sly_ story. And yes, I AM still working on it. But life's just been crazy for me, and writing it is a bit tough.  
Still, thank you all for reading this, and until next time, I'm Foxboy614, and I bid you all sayonara. God bless, and have a great day!**


End file.
